Editorial: Californians overwhelmingly supported legalizing marijuana. Why is it still a mess?

Five years ago, California voters overwhelmingly chose to legalize the adult use of marijuana. The passage of Proposition 64 was supposed to replace the state’s vast illegal and quasi-legal medical marijuana market, in which virtually anyone could get their hands on marijuana, with a tightly controlled system of safe products, taxed sales and regulated commerce.

In recommending Proposition 64 to voters, the Times Editorial Board argued that it’s better for public health, for law and order, and for society to treat marijuana more like alcohol and less like heroin — as a legal regulated product for adults.

And backers of the initiative said it would create a controlled market that allowed adults access to safe, regulated marijuana products while protecting children. The new government-overseen industry would reduce the environmental harm of illegal pot farms, lessen the power of criminal drug gangs and help repair damage from War on Drugs that disproportionately targeted Black and Latino communities.

But today many of the promises of Proposition 64 remain unfulfilled.

The black market is as big as ever, with roughly 75% of marijuana sales in the state coming from unlicensed sellers. Illegal pot farms are still degrading sensitive environmental habitat. Untested and unregulated cannabis products, including edibles and oils, still flood the market. And the pledge to help communities disadvantaged by the War on Drugs is still a work in progress. California, which was one of the first states to end prohibition, has become an example of how not to legalize marijuana. [Read More @ The LA Times]