In 2016, Proposition 64 was passed by voters as a commonsense reform to our outdated and racist drug laws. The legislation decriminalized cannabis possession, legalized the use of recreational marijuana, set a framework for the licensing of legal cannabis businesses, and created a state tax structure that dedicates the new revenues collected from state cannabis taxes to specific purposes. In part, Proposition 64 was promoted as means to repair the harm done to communities of color damaged by the War on Drugs by using the funds generated by the sale of recreational marijuana to pay for afterschool programs and youth substance abuse prevention and treatment.
