I understand that you are pissed, but it's not fair to blame the failure of Prop. 19 on Humboldt County.

First off, I want you to know that, even though it was not in our best interest and wouldn't have made a difference in our ability to grow or possess weed (215 cards), my entire family of seven (my 79 year-old mother included) voted yes on the initiative because we were thinking of what would be best for the greater good, not just our bank account.

Maybe it's because when people think of California weed, they often think "Humboldt", or maybe it's because the clip of Zach Galifianakis smoking a joint on Bill Maher ended with a panelist saying that his grower friends in Humboldt County were rallying against Prop.19, but whatever the reason you have for being pissed at us, it's misplaced anger.

Granted, most of the growers that we know were against the bill, however, I did not see one single "No on Prop.19" sign or ad in this area. There weren't even that many letters to the editor in our local Eureka paper that encouraged a "No" vote. If my fellow growers were "rallying" the initiative's defeat, they sure were quiet about it. That, or they were the worst campaigners I've ever seen. Even if there were those who were trying to influence people to vote no, it wouldn't have changed the outcome of the election because Humboldt County only has about 77,000 registered voters, and the bill lost by over 600,000 votes.

The reason that most Humboldt growers (and many non-growers) were against the bill in this county is more than obvious; it would have lowered the price we can get for our weed, it would have resulted in us competing with big tobacco and it would have hurt our area financially. It is estimated that the illegal (and legal) marijuana industry infuses approximately $500,000,000 into our local economy. Granted, regulating and taxing pot would result in revenue for California's local and state governments, but businesses who depend on cash paying customers around here would be negatively impacted.

Humboldt no longer has a viable fishing industry and the lumber industry is nowhere near what it used to be. Instead, we count on tourism and weed to keep us afloat. Self-preservation is a powerful motivator and we are only human in wanting to keep this area as financially solvent as possible.

Also, Prop.19 was poorly written and not that good of an initiative in the first place. For one thing, it would not retroactively repeal marijuana possession, possession for sale and cultivation convictions. Those who are currently serving time would still have to serve out their sentences. The marijuana legalization bill, currently being drafted for a 2012 vote, is much better than Prop.19 (so I've heard), and will address the issue I just mentioned.

In conclusion, I understand that everyone is disappointed in the failure of Proposition 19, but it's utterly unproductive to point fingers at who's to blame. There are several reasons for the failure of the bill, such as, a big older voter turnout (I went to two polling locations and the average age was about 100), and a weak turnout of younger voters. Also, the "yes on Prop.19" campaign was unorganized and ineffective.

**TL;DR:**I voted for the bill, I'm sorry it didn't pass, stop talking shit about Humboldt County.

Pax