But the mere fact of the ballot's existence is an astonishing victory for legalisation advocates.
Despite the defeat in California, the movement towards legalisation has strengthened a lot in recent years.
The paper represents the strongest hint yet that the SAR administration sees legalisation as the only option.
A handful of national figures have called for a debate on legalisation, including Arnold Schwarzenegger in California and Terry Goddard, the attorney-general of Arizona.
