Cali: Protect your state’s cannabis progress this session!

To protect California’s cannabis progress, we need to vote for leaders who will defend it.

Since voters legalized cannabis in 2016, California has seen the real and measurable benefits of legalization. Cannabis-related arrests have plummeted 86% following legalization, sparing countless Californians from the lasting consequences of a criminal record. At the same time, youth use has declined 70% over the past decade, showing that a regulated market can protect teens better than prohibition ever did.

Legal cannabis also allows Californians to have a safe, regulated option to use cannabis while also paying for programs that strengthen the place they live. From the start of legal sales through 2025, adult-use cannabis taxes have generated $7.7 billion for the state. That money goes directly back into California’s communities, funding organizations that repair harm caused by the War on Drugs, expanding access to childcare, and supporting environmental programs.

But that progress isn’t guaranteed. It depends on who we elect.

Our friends at California NORML created a voter guide for state Senate and Assembly races here. Early voting has already begun, and California’s two highest-polling candidates will face off for the top seat in the state, Governor.

The Democratic candidate is former U.S. Health and Human Services secretary Xavier Becerra. Becerra served during the Biden administration's recommendation to reschedule cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III, and he also signed onto a letter urging Congress to pass a cannabis banking bill in 2019. 

The Republican candidate is Steve Hilton, who has also voiced support for the state’s adult-use cannabis program. One way he would also like the current market to be strengthened is by cracking down on the illicit market more aggressively than what he perceives is currently happening. He has also pointed out that taxes are too high for legitimate operators to compete with the illicit market, which would, most likely, mean another ballot initiative to put before voters.

This election, vote for candidates who will protect legal cannabis and the community investments it makes possible. Let’s keep California moving forward.