Editorial: Californians overwhelmingly supported legalizing marijuana. Why is it still a mess?

Five years ago, California voters overwhelmingly chose to legalize the adult use of marijuana. The passage of Proposition 64 was supposed to replace the state’s vast illegal and quasi-legal medical marijuana market, in which virtually anyone could get their hands on marijuana, with a tightly controlled system of safe products, taxed sales and regulated commerce.

In recommending Proposition 64 to voters, the Times Editorial Board argued that it’s better for public health, for law and order, and for society to treat marijuana more like alcohol and less like heroin — as a legal regulated product for adults.

And backers of the initiative said it would create a controlled market that allowed adults access to safe, regulated marijuana products