November 3, 11 AM PDT – While Californians rejected Prop 19 to allow adult use of marijuana, they proved eager to approve measures to tax and regulate medical marijuana. At last report, Prop 19 was at 46%, the highest vote ever recorded in a legalization initiative; the previous record was a 2006 Nevada initiative which scored 44%.
Ballot measures to tax medical marijuana passed overwhelmingly in several cities, while voters in Santa Barbara and Morro Bay rejected initiatives to prohibit dispensaries (Santa Barbara voted 39.4% to 60.64% to reject Measure T; Morro Bay voted 45.5% to 54.6% against Measure B-10).
Sacramento Measure C, which would tax medical marijuana businesses up to 4%, passed 71.2% to 28.8%.
San Jose approved a 10% marijuana tax, Measure U, by 77.7% – 22.3%
Oakland approved Measure V, to increase the marijuana tax from 1.8% to 5%, by 69.8%-30.2%.
Berkeley approved a 2.5% medical marijuana tax, Measure S, by 82.4% to 17.6%, and a measure to allow licensed gardens, Measure T, 64.4% – 35.6%.
Richmond approved a 5% medical marijuana tax, 77.4 – 22.6%.
Albany adopted a marijuana business license tax, Measure Q, 83% to 17%.
Stockton approved a 2.5% MMJ business tax, Measure I, 66%-34%.
La Puente approved a medical marijuana tax Prop M and a non-medical tax Measure N that would have taken effect if Prop 19 passed.
Long Beach voters approved a recreational marijuana tax Measure B by 72%, but the measure won’t take effect because Prop 19 failed.
Rancho Cordova passed a medical marijuana tax measure that Cal NORML strongly opposed as excessive: Measure O (56%-44%) would require all marijuana grows to pay $600 per square foot for up to 25 square feet of growing space. The city also approved a non-medical marijuana tax Measure H, which would have taken effect only if Prop 19 passed (67.4 – 32.5%)