The Marijuana Policy Project, a national advocacy group, took the first formal steps Wednesday toward a 2016 ballot initiative to legalize marijuana in California.
The group officially filed papers with the secretary of state to register a new committee, the Marijuana Policy Project of California. The registration allows the committee to start soliciting and spending funds.
Ballot language will not be drafted until early 2015, but the goal is to regulate pot in a similar way to alcohol, the group says.
"Marijuana prohibition has had an enormously detrimental impact on California communities," said Rob Kampia, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), in a statement. "It's been ineffective, wasteful, and counterproductive. It's time for a more responsible approach."
In 2012, Colorado and Washington became the first states to legalize the sale of marijuana. In November, Oregon, Alaska and District of Columbia voters will also decide on legalization.