California Marks a Decade of Legal Marijuana as Officials Tout 215,000 Cleared Convictions and $1.2 Billion in Disrupted Illicit Activity

California has cleared more than 215,000 marijuana-related convictions and disrupted $1.2 billion in illicit cannabis activity in the 10 years since voters approved Proposition 64, according to a Monday release sent by Governor Gavin Newsom’s press office.

“California has cleared records, seized illegal product, and built a legal market that works”, says Newsom. “As our work continues, we’re focused on strengthening that legal market so it can compete and succeed.”

The announcement comes as California marks a decade since voters legalized marijuana through the 2016 ballot measure, which created the framework for the nation’s largest legal marijuana market while also opening the door for resentencing and record relief tied to prior marijuana offenses.

According to the governor’s office, state and local authorities have seized more than 778,000 pounds of illegal cannabis and eradicated more than 1 million illegal plants through coordinated enforcement efforts. Officials say that work has been driven in part by the Unified Cannabis Enforcement Task Force, launched in 2022 to bring together more than 20 state partners.

State officials also highlighted the role of marijuana tax revenue in supporting programs tied to public safety, environmental restoration and community reinvestment. Since 2018, California has collected more than $7 billion in marijuana tax revenue, according to the announcement.

The state says nearly $250 million has been distributed through Proposition 64 grant programs across four funding cohorts, with another $125 million in new grant funding recently awarded. Those programs have helped fund local enforcement and community-based efforts across California.

The announcement also pointed to environmental enforcement tied to illegal cultivation. Since legalization, officials say they have removed 350,000 pounds of trash, dismantled 221 illegal water diversions and removed 566,000 feet of illegal irrigation line.