California voters last week rejected Proposition 19, settling the argument over legalization of the sale and use of marijuana, but only temporarily.

California’s legalization initiative fell about 9 percent short of the majority needed to pass. It’s not a comfortable margin for those worried that legalization of the recreational drug could have negative consequences.

Supporters of legalization aren’t likely to give up. Some have remarked that voters this year tended to be older and more conservative, and that another initiative in 2012 will stand a much better chance. Although Proposition 19 failed, supporters note, it received more votes than any previous attempt to legalize marijuana.

Polls show that younger voters are far more likely to support legalization. A Princeton-Newsweek poll last month found that 69 percent of voters under 30 support legalization of marijuana nationwide, while overall support is at 44 percent.

In Massachusetts, a number of local ballots last week included advisory questions sponsored by advocates to measure the support for medical marijuana and full legalization efforts. According to the Associated Press, backing statewide was strong. In Newton, Brookline and part of Wellesley, 63 percent favored full legalization.

Meanwhile activists in Colorado announced plans to put legalization measures on the state ballot in 2012 and have already begun campaigning. Their goal is to make marijuana use legal for those over 21 and to regulate it like alcohol.

Most marijuana use might turn out to be moderate, as is generally the case with alcohol. But moderation is not in everyone’s nature, and liquor has always required extensive regulation, enforcement and counseling to limit the damage resulting from abuse. These efforts tragically fail to reach many.

Marijuana was once mischaracterized as an addictive drug. Even today, the false campaigns of the past encourage many to overlook the real problems of impaired judgment and lack of productivity among some users.

Like casino gambling, legalization of marijuana is increasingly promoted as a harmless change that will create economic growth and bring in tax revenue. In Oakland, Calif., factory cultivation of marijuana has been urged as a welcome expansion of the city’s tax base.

The costs of legalization could outweigh the benefits, and many are not ready for whatever new social customs legal marijuana might encourage. But money and zealous activism means it is likely that the issue will loom larger in the years ahead, perhaps even in Maine.

— Comments? Contact Managing Editor Nick Cowenhoven at nickc@journaltribune.com.