California FTW

The importance of some events cannot be overstated.  Many states had been handling the controlled substance act and the corresponding drug war with varying results, but Southern border states like California were on the front lines of the destruction caused by battles between competing interests in the illicit markets.  With the passage of the voter approved Compassionate Use Act, California began the process of recontextualizing cannabis as a medicine.  

“California is the 5th largest economy in the world for the seventh consecutive year, with a nominal GDP of nearly $3.9 trillion in 2023 and a growth rate of 6.1% since the year prior, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)” – Governor of California’s office 

With such a huge market potential, and massive voter support, many in the nation looked to California as an experiment in cannabis legalization legisltation.  It is important to note that Arizona also passed a medical use law, but it was rendered ineffective because of legal loopholes in the legislation.  By 1998, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and Nevada all pass ballot initiatives legalizing medical cannabis, with different legal hurdles and rollout challenges associated with each initiative.

Source: https://www.worldofcannabis.museum/post/tdich-nov5-prop215