---
title: "Proposition 64 in California History"
description: "Proposition 64 legalized recreational marijuana in California in 2016, set rules for sales and taxes, and redirected revenue to schools and public programs."
canonical: "https://fiveable.me/hs-california-history/key-terms/proposition-64"
type: "key-term"
subject: "California History"
unit: "Unit 16"
---

# Proposition 64 in California History

## Definition

Proposition 64 was California's 2016 ballot measure that legalized recreational marijuana for adults 21 and older. In California History, it shows how voters used the initiative process to change drug policy, taxation, and criminal justice.

## What It Is

Proposition 64 is the 2016 California ballot initiative that legalized recreational marijuana for adults age 21 and older. It also created a legal system for growing, selling, and taxing cannabis, instead of leaving the drug entirely in the gray area between criminal law and private use.

In California History, the measure matters because it shows how the state uses direct democracy to make major policy changes. Voters did not wait for the legislature to pass a full reform package. They voted on a statewide initiative, and about 57% approved it, which tells you public opinion had shifted a lot since earlier decades of stricter drug enforcement.

The law let adults possess up to one ounce of marijuana and grow up to six plants for personal use. That made the old model of automatic criminal penalties less central for many low-level possession cases. It also meant California had to build rules for licensing, product testing, labeling, and sales, because legalization without regulation would have left consumers and local governments with a mess.

Another major part of Proposition 64 was taxation. Once cannabis became legal for adults, sales could be taxed and revenue could be directed to state programs. The money was set aside for areas like education, public health, and environmental restoration, which shows how a ballot measure can reshape both law and the state budget at the same time.

The measure also included social equity and criminal justice provisions. One of the most discussed pieces was the chance to expunge some past marijuana-related convictions. That matters in California History because legalization was not just about a new legal market, it was also a response to older drug laws that had hit communities unevenly. If you are tracking late 20th and early 21st century California politics, Proposition 64 is part of the larger story of shifting attitudes toward crime, race, public health, and state power.

You can think of it as a turning point where marijuana policy moved from punishment toward regulation. That is a big historical change, not just a policy detail.

## Why It Matters

Proposition 64 matters because it helps you read California's modern political history through the ballot box. The state is known for using initiatives to settle hot issues directly with voters, and this measure is one of the clearest examples of that process in the 2010s.

It also connects to a bigger pattern in California History: many major reforms have been driven by public pressure after people felt the existing system was not working. Here, the issue was not only marijuana use. It was also enforcement costs, uneven punishment, tax revenue, consumer safety, and whether the state should treat cannabis as a criminal issue or a regulated market.

This term also helps you connect policy change to social justice debates. The expungement language and the push for a legal market show that legal reform can be tied to attempts to repair harms caused by older laws. That fits into California's long-running debates over race, policing, and unequal access to opportunity.

When you see Proposition 64 in a document, timeline, or essay prompt, it often signals a question about how California changes over time: through voter initiatives, through shifting public opinion, and through conflicts between state regulation and individual freedom. It is a clean example of late modern California politics in action.

## Connections

### Marijuana Taxation

Proposition 64 did not just legalize cannabis, it made cannabis sales a taxable part of the state economy. That matters because California often uses ballot measures to decide how money gets raised and where it goes. In this case, taxation turned a social policy issue into a budget issue too, with revenue aimed at public programs.

### Social Equity Programs

The equity side of Proposition 64 connects to questions about who benefits from legalization and who was harmed by earlier drug laws. California History often asks you to see policy as more than a rule on paper, and social equity programs are the attempt to deal with unequal outcomes from past enforcement. They link legalization to repair, not just profit.

### [Proposition 13](/hs-california-history/key-terms/proposition-13)

Proposition 13 and Proposition 64 are both examples of major change coming through the initiative system, but they deal with very different issues. Proposition 13 changed property taxes and became a landmark tax revolt measure. Proposition 64 is about marijuana policy, but both show how California voters can bypass the legislature and reshape state policy directly.

### [Proposition 187](/hs-california-history/key-terms/proposition-187)

Proposition 187 helps show a different side of California ballot politics, because it focused on immigration and public services rather than cannabis reform. Comparing it with Proposition 64 shows how initiatives can reflect changing public attitudes over time. One measure tightened exclusion, while the other moved toward legalization and regulation.

## On the AP Exam

A timeline ID, short-answer response, or essay prompt might ask you to explain how Proposition 64 fits into late 20th and early 21st century California politics. You would identify it as the 2016 marijuana legalization initiative, then connect it to direct democracy, changing public opinion, and the state's growing interest in regulation and tax revenue. If you get a question about ballot initiatives, this is a strong example of voters making a policy decision that affected law enforcement, business regulation, and public funding all at once. In a document-based response or class discussion, you can use it to show how California politics often moves through statewide propositions instead of only through the legislature.

## Proposition 64 vs Proposition 13

Proposition 13 is often confused with Proposition 64 because both are major California ballot measures. Proposition 13, passed in 1978, dealt with property taxes and the tax revolt. Proposition 64, passed in 2016, legalized recreational marijuana and set up taxes and regulations for cannabis sales.

## Key Takeaways

- Proposition 64 was California's 2016 initiative that legalized recreational marijuana for adults 21 and older.
- It is a good example of direct democracy, because voters used a statewide ballot measure to make a major policy change.
- The measure created rules for possession, home growing, sales, and taxation instead of leaving cannabis outside the legal system.
- It also included criminal justice and expungement provisions, showing that legalization was tied to repair as well as reform.
- In California History, Proposition 64 fits into the broader story of changing attitudes toward drugs, regulation, and public policy.

## FAQs

### What is Proposition 64 in California History?

Proposition 64 was the 2016 California ballot initiative that legalized recreational marijuana for adults 21 and older. It also created a regulated market for cannabis, including rules for sales, taxes, possession, and home growing. In California History, it shows how voters can change major state policy through the initiative process.

### What did Proposition 64 allow Californians to do?

It allowed adults to possess up to one ounce of marijuana and grow up to six plants for personal use. It also opened the door to legal retail sales under state regulation. That shift matters because it changed marijuana from a largely criminalized substance into a taxed and controlled product.

### How is Proposition 64 different from Proposition 13?

Proposition 13 was the 1978 tax revolt measure that limited property taxes, while Proposition 64 was the 2016 marijuana legalization measure. They are similar only in that both passed through California's initiative system. They deal with different political issues and come from very different historical moments.

### Why did Proposition 64 matter beyond marijuana legalization?

It mattered because it changed how California handled regulation, taxation, and some past convictions. The measure reflects shifting public opinion and shows how the state uses ballot initiatives to resolve contested social issues. It is also tied to debates about criminal justice and public revenue.

## Related Study Guides

- [16.2 Key political issues and ballot initiatives](/hs-california-history/unit-16/key-political-issues-ballot-initiatives/study-guide/at71MJsxNt4PXN2N)

## About This Document

Canonical Fiveable pages are available as Markdown at the same path plus `.md`.

- [llms.txt](https://fiveable.me/llms.txt): index of Fiveable's sections and URL patterns
- [llms-full.txt](https://fiveable.me/llms-full.txt): complete subject and unit listing
- [MCP server](https://fiveable.me/mcp): call Fiveable as tools instead of fetching pages (`https://fiveable.me/api/mcp`)
- [MCP server for AP teachers](https://fiveable.me/mcp/teachers): a teacher's classes, assignments and AP-rubric grading (`https://fiveable.me/api/mcp/teacher`)

## Structured Data

```json
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"LearningResource","@id":"https://fiveable.me/hs-california-history/key-terms/proposition-64#resource","name":"Proposition 64 in California History","url":"https://fiveable.me/hs-california-history/key-terms/proposition-64","learningResourceType":"Concept explainer","educationalLevel":"AP® / High School","about":{"@id":"https://fiveable.me/hs-california-history/key-terms/proposition-64#term"},"audience":{"@type":"EducationalAudience","educationalRole":"student"},"dateModified":"2026-07-03T02:21:53.922Z","isPartOf":{"@type":"Collection","name":"California History Key Terms","url":"https://fiveable.me/hs-california-history/key-terms"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Fiveable","url":"https://fiveable.me"}},{"@type":"DefinedTerm","@id":"https://fiveable.me/hs-california-history/key-terms/proposition-64#term","name":"Proposition 64","description":"Proposition 64 was California's 2016 ballot measure that legalized recreational marijuana for adults 21 and older. In California History, it shows how voters used the initiative process to change drug policy, taxation, and criminal justice.","url":"https://fiveable.me/hs-california-history/key-terms/proposition-64","inDefinedTermSet":{"@type":"DefinedTermSet","name":"California History Key Terms","url":"https://fiveable.me/hs-california-history/key-terms"}},{"@type":"FAQPage","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What is Proposition 64 in California History?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Proposition 64 was the 2016 California ballot initiative that legalized recreational marijuana for adults 21 and older. It also created a regulated market for cannabis, including rules for sales, taxes, possession, and home growing. In California History, it shows how voters can change major state policy through the initiative process."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"What did Proposition 64 allow Californians to do?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"It allowed adults to possess up to one ounce of marijuana and grow up to six plants for personal use. It also opened the door to legal retail sales under state regulation. That shift matters because it changed marijuana from a largely criminalized substance into a taxed and controlled product."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"How is Proposition 64 different from Proposition 13?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Proposition 13 was the 1978 tax revolt measure that limited property taxes, while Proposition 64 was the 2016 marijuana legalization measure. They are similar only in that both passed through California's initiative system. They deal with different political issues and come from very different historical moments."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Why did Proposition 64 matter beyond marijuana legalization?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"It mattered because it changed how California handled regulation, taxation, and some past convictions. The measure reflects shifting public opinion and shows how the state uses ballot initiatives to resolve contested social issues. It is also tied to debates about criminal justice and public revenue."}}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"California History","item":"https://fiveable.me/hs-california-history"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Key Terms","item":"https://fiveable.me/hs-california-history/key-terms"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Unit 16","item":"https://fiveable.me/hs-california-history/unit-16"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Proposition 64"}]}]}
```