Everybody knows that Meg Whitman spent $160 million to lose to Jerry Brown. Less noticed is the fact that she also lost to legalized marijuana.

Whitman got 3.1 million votes. Prop. 19 got 3.4 million votes. Conclusive proof: Californians prefer weed to Meg Whitman.

Supporters of legalized marijuana may be disappointed by the outcome, but the measure only failed by a tally of 54-46.

Compare that to the outcome of the 1972 version of Prop. 19, which would have legalized possession and cultivation of marijuana, but not sales. That proposition failed overwhelmingly, 66.5-33.5.

So, the arc of history is long but it bends toward legalization.

Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.