Subject matter experts across California's cannabis landscape praised Prop 64 for quality control and stigma reduction but criticized high costs, licensing barriers, and persistent social inequity.
Drug policy analysts, legalization advocates, public health researchers
22 experts across 9 stakeholder categories
What the researchers found
Interviews with 22 stakeholders identified three primary themes: (1) successes including quality control, justice reform, and stigma reduction; (2) shortcomings including high costs, licensing barriers, bureaucracy, and social inequity; and (3) recommendations including more research, policy changes, and business model transformation. Experts emphasized that federal Schedule I status remains a barrier to banking, research, and regulatory consistency.
Why it matters
Six years after passage, Prop 64 had produced both intended benefits and significant unintended consequences. Expert perspectives from across the cannabis ecosystem reveal where legalization frameworks succeed and where they fall short.
The numbers in context
22 subject matter experts interviewed; 9 stakeholder categories; Prop 64 passed 2016, implemented 2018; interviews conducted January-March 2022
How the study worked
Twenty-two semi-structured interviews conducted January-March 2022 with subject matter experts across nine categories: clinicians (primary care, pain management, addiction medicine, cannabis), researchers, advocates, dispensary owners, legal professionals, and consumers. Nine tailored interview guides assessed perceptions of Prop 64 impacts.
What this study cannot tell us
Qualitative design with 22 participants cannot capture the full range of stakeholder experiences. Interviews conducted in early 2022 may not reflect more recent developments. Expert selection may not represent all affected communities equally.
How to read the evidence
Qualitative expert interviews provide rich contextual insight but represent a small, purposively selected sample that cannot be generalized to broader populations.
When this study was published
2025 publication; interviews conducted January-March 2022 about Prop 64 (passed 2016, implemented 2018)
The bigger picture
California was among the first states to legalize recreational cannabis, making its implementation experience a reference point for other jurisdictions. The finding that legalization created new inequities even while reducing old ones is a recurring pattern across legalization efforts.
Questions still open
- Have states that legalized after California avoided the licensing and cost barriers identified by these experts? Would federal rescheduling address the banking and research barriers described?
Common questions
What were Prop 64's biggest successes?
What were the main criticisms?
Read the original research
The Impact of Adult Cannabis Use Legalization in California: A Qualitative Review of Subject Matter Expert Opinions on Proposition 64.
Cannabis (Albuquerque, N.M.), 8(3), 72-88
Citation
Ageze, Daniel; Dell'Acqua, Renee; Marcotte, Thomas D; Baird, Sara; Garcia, Jesus; Rybar, Jill; Hill, Linda. (2025). The Impact of Adult Cannabis Use Legalization in California: A Qualitative Review of Subject Matter Expert Opinions on Proposition 64.. Cannabis (Albuquerque, N.M.), 8(3), 72-88. https://doi.org/10.26828/cannabis/2025/000291