In Pima County, one in 20 voters opted against casting a vote on the ballot question of whether the state should legalize recreational marijuana .
Proposition 205 failed statewide earlier this month and locally the ballot measure was nearly equally split — with 49 percent voting yes and 46 percent of local voters rejecting the measure.
The map of how we voted practically mirrors how the county split for the two presidential candidates.
Recreational marijuana found support mostly inside the city limits, the same areas where ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ backed Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. It failed in outlying areas that primarily voted for Republican Donald Trump.
This close vote was a sharp decline from 2010, when 57 percent of Pima County voters backed Prop. 203 — legalizing the use of medical marijuana.
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Raw numbers
Pima County approved the recreational measure 207,717 to 196,627 . Statewide, Prop. 205 lost 1,300,344 to 1,233,323.
Legal weed support
Here’s a sampling of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ precincts that approved the measure.
Precinct 62, which covers a portion of the University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ campus: 77 percent yes, 16 percent no.
Precinct 43 between West Speedway and West Grant Road just east of Interstate 10: 76 percent yes, 18 percent no.
Precinct 45, which is south of downtown ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ and includes Armory Park: 74 percent yes, 23 percent no.
Not so fast, smokers
A sampling of precincts that voted down Prop. 205:
Precinct 205 in Green Valley, which includes the Canoa Ranch Golf Club, voted 62 percent no, 31 percent yes.
Precinct 84 in Green Valley, which includes the Quail Creek Country Club: 60 percent no, 34 percent yes.
Precinct 145 in Oro Valley: 61 percent no, 33 percent yes.
“A matter of timeâ€
Political analyst Chris Herstam said it is predictable to see that the areas where the measure passed are the same ones where Clinton won a majority of the votes. Similarly, the measure failed where voters backed Trump.
“It’s not surprising to see that the pro-recreational marijuana vote tracked the pro-Hillary vote.
“After all, the state Democratic Party endorsed both. Trump does not support legal weed, nor does the GOP,†he said.
“Legalizing marijuana in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ is inevitable. We will soon join California, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and other states. As ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ becomes less Republican, pot will become more acceptable. It’s just a matter of time,†Herstam said.
Barrett Marson, the communications director for the failed Yes on 205 campaign, said he believes recreational legalization will appear again on the ballot in the next few years, possibly during the next presidential election.
Patience might be the key.
Officials note the question of medical marijuana failed at the polls several times before voters backed the measure in 2010.
