The issue focused on legislation introduced by Attorney General Eric Holder that gave federal prosecutors broad discretion to pursue criminal charges against medical marijuana dispensaries even when federal law prohibited such prosecutions. In addition to expanding medical marijuana legalization in California, Holder said he supported decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use in states where it was legal.

Under California law, possession of less than an ounce of marijuana for personal use is a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000