California becomes the largest state to legalize recreational marijuana

Marijuana is now legal in California.
(Image credit: ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)

At midnight, California became the most populous state in the country to legalize marijuana after voters overwhelmingly approved the drug for recreational use in November 2016. "This is essentially going to eliminate prohibition on the plant of the last 400 years and return the plant back to the people," the CEO of a Santa Cruz dispensary, Khalil Moutawakkil, told the Los Angeles Times.

Still, just 49 retail licenses for pot have been issued by the state so far as the majority of cities in California have moved slowly on the rollout; Los Angeles, for example, delayed accepting applications until Jan. 3.

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By the end of 2019, though, legal sales could top $5 billion, Newsweek reports — meaning marijuana could eventually bring in more revenue than beer in the Golden State.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.