History

Graph showing cannabis felonies in California from 1960–2020, peaking in 1975 at 85,757 before falling sharply after marijuana decriminalization and the Moscone Act, with Cal NORML noting $100 million annual enforcement savings. CA Norml

Cal NORML Celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Marijuana Decriminalization in California in July

Graph showing cannabis felonies in California from 1960–2020, peaking in 1975 at 85,757 before falling sharply after marijuana decriminalization and the Moscone Act, with Cal NORML noting $100 million annual enforcement savings. CA NormlJuly 9, 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of California’s landmark marijuana decriminalization law, the Moscone Act, which reduced the penalty for possessing an ounce or less of marijuana from a felony to a citable misdemeanor punishable by a $100 fine and no jail. The law, sponsored by then-Senator George Moscone and California NORML, was signed by Gov. Jerry Brown on July 9, 1975 and took effect on January 1, 1976.

The Moscone Act resulted in an 80% reduction in felony marijuana arrests, saving the state an estimated $100 million per year in enforcement costs, and saving well over a million users from a criminal record over the years.…