PHOENIX β Arizona is unlikely to join a growing list of states where adults can buy and use marijuana almost as easily as alcohol, at least not this year.
Preliminary results late Tuesday showed Proposition 205 trailing by 5 percentage points.
The vote marks a clear difference from six years ago when Arizonans narrowly agreed to allow those with certain medical conditions and a doctorβs recommendation to obtain up to 2Β½ ounces of marijuana every two weeks. Nearly 109,000 people have qualified.
Prop. 205 was crafted to immediately allow any adult to have up to an ounce of the drug, consume it in private, as well as to grow up to six plants. And beginning in 2018 there would be state-licensed retail outlets for purchase.
This measure followed the lead of Colorado and Washington, where voters have previously concluded there is no reason to limit marijuana use to patients. On Tuesday, California voters passed a ballot measure to legalize the recreational use of marijuana.
It was an expensive campaign on both sides, with proponents amassing a war chest of $6.6 million against $6.1 million accumulated by foes.
Proponents argued the measure would regulate marijuana like alcohol, with a limited number of legal dispensaries, a state agency responsible for setting rules and taxes collected. And they are riding a wave of support with similar measures on the ballot in other states.
That left foes, led by prosecutors and the business community, to argue that legalizing marijuana for recreational use is far different than permitting individuals to buy and drink beer, wine and hard liquor.
Both sides rounded up testimony from those elsewhere, mainly from Colorado, in an effort to prove their point. But that often provided little guidance.
For example, there are statistics that show the use of marijuana by teens in Colorado who are not legally allowed to use it is higher than the rest of the country. But there also are numbers showing that teen use is no higher now than it was when Colorado legalized recreational use in 2012.
