Since Californians legalized adult cannabis use and sales 10 years ago in 2016, our state and its citizens have seen many benefits from the laws that Prop. 64 put in place.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND HUMAN RIGHTS BENEFITS

• Prop. 64 has lead to reduced cannabis arrests and imprisonments. The CA DOJ reported 7,949 felony and 5,861 misdemeanor arrests in 2016 vs. 399 felony and 2,033 misdemeanors in 2025. Unfortunately, racial disparities in arrests remain.
• Over 215,000 past cannabis crimes have been expunged or reduced from people’s records, opening up job and other opportunities for Californians.

Cal NORML participated in Cannabis Unity Coalition lobby day last week in Washington, DC to lobby for full cannabis decriminalization, release of federal marijuana prisoners, and the clearing of records for past marijuana convictions.

Watch the coalition press conference held at the US Capitol at which Cannabis Caucus Co-Chairs Dina Titus (D-NV) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN) spoke, along with Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN). Read more.

Also speaking were representatives from Latino and Indigenous groups, prisoner advocates, Students for Sensible Drug Policy, NORML, MPP, DPA, and others.…

Cannabis vape pens expose users to significantly less harmful toxins than smoked joints, according to a new lab study  sponsored by California NORML.  The study compared the emissions of two different vape pens – a disposable and a reusable cartridge model – with pre-roll joints purchased from a San Diego dispensary.  The vape pens emitted significantly cleaner emissions than the joint for almost all toxins tested, and, unlike the joint, were within EPA safe daily exposure limits for regular users.

“The dangers of vapes have been misrepresented by anti-smoking advocates to suggest their emissions are as hazardous as smoke,” says Cal NORML director Dale Gieringer. …

Cal NORML Voter Guide to Cannabis Candidates

June 2026 Primary Election

Got input on candidates or races? Write here.

Artwork: Ruth Anne

UPDATED 6/29/26

Quick Links: EXECUTIVE / CONGRESS / STATE SENATE / STATE ASSEMBLY / LOCAL

Governor

RESULTS: Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton are heading to the November run-off. Hilton recently said he thinks California’s cannabis taxes are too high.   

Xavier Becerra – In 2016, as California’s Attorney General, Becerra told Politico he would be defending California’s new law legalizing marijuana against possible federal interference, and admitted he tried weed “at a younger time.”…

UPDATE 5/19/26 : The DCC has issued a Notice of Rulemaking to allow for existing licensees who hold a license with both a medicinal and Adult-Use designation to be issued separate Medicinal and Adult-Use licenses.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has signed an order immediately placing both “FDA-approved drug products containing marijuana, and medicinal marijuana products subject to a qualifying state-issued license” in Schedule III. The action is taken “under his authority to reschedule drugs to carry out the United States’ obligations under the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs,” according to a press release from DOJ.…

A “joint” hearing

Chair of the Joint Legislative Audit committee John Harabedian (D-Pasadena) opened the hearing and turned it over to Asm. Jacqui Irwin (D-Ventura) who requested an audit of cannabis packaging last year. The audit determined that laws and guidance are not always clear on what constitutes a package that is attractive to children, and that the DCC’s enforcement against companies with repeated violations was lacking.…

UPDATE 2/26/26 – The cannabis language in the bill has been erased, following opposition from some in the cannabis industry, concerned that it would open the door to broader shipping. 

UPDATE 2/20/26 – During a chat with Capitol Weekly, new DCC chief Clint Kellum said (@ 19:46 in), that direct-mail options for cannabis could be “quite beneficial” to consumers, noting that most people are getting goods via Amazon, etc. Kellum said that the cannabis consumer has “quite a confusing market to deal with, in that there’s not widespread access across the state, you have intoxicating hemp cannabinoids that aren’t allowed in the state but are allowed at the federal level that make their way in through direct-to-consumer efforts, so there’s quite a bit of confusion, and having more traditional lines like direct-to-consumer would be nice.”…

Cal NORML favors shifting to vapes with removable batteries and developing disposal options for cannabis vape waste. 

Manufacturers and retailers should explore re-designing vapes with removable batteries, and/or provide waste disposal programs for cannabis cartridges, vape pens, and batteries. 

See: THE GREEN PUFF: TRANSFORMING CANNABIS VAPING INTO A SUSTAINABLE PRACTICE  and

Raising the Volume: How Regulations and Consumer Market Trends Have Increased the Volume of Cannabis Packaging Waste in California

Consumers should be aware of proper disposal options for cannabis cartridges and integrated cannabis vaporizers. …

UPDATE 5/29/26: A lawsuit was filed by STASH against the city on May 22; a court hearing on the suit is scheduled for Sept. 21, case number #CV2026-1591 in Yolo County.  In a press release, the plaintiff states: “This case represents a growing and deeply concerning pattern occurring throughout California, where cannabis equity programs, originally created to repair harms caused by the failed War on Drugs, are instead being manipulated, delayed, obstructed, or abandoned after applicants have already invested substantial financial resources and received approval.”…