California Cannabis Business Consulting

Over a century ago, California was one of the first states in the U.S. to prohibit cannabis before federal laws were created banning the sale nationwide. Over the next decades, federal prohibition contributed to further prohibit the plant, despite the public’s continued medical and recreational use.

Despite these challenges, California still maintained deep cultural connections to cannabis. In 1975 California became the second state after Oregon to decriminalize cannabis possession. In 1991 voters in the city of San Francisco passed the first medical marijuana initiative in the United States, by an astounding 79%. Five years later, the first statewide medical marijuana program was created when Proposition 215 was passed.

Significant regulatory changes were made for medical marijuana in 2015, with the implementation of several state bills comprising the Medical Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MCRSA). Finally, in 2016, voters in the state passed Proposition 64, the Adult Use of Marijuana Act (AUMA), allowing and establishing rules for recreational cannabis use for anyone over 21.