Proposition 47 will reduce the penalty for possesion of personal use amounts of drugs to a misdemeanor, and will allow many felons currently serving time to get resentenced under the new guidelines. This will have the additional benefit of saving the state hundreds of millions of dollars annually in expenses, much of which will be diverted towards a fund that will support substance abuse treatment and school dropout prevention.
The proposition will also reduce penalties for a few other non-serious, non-violent crimes. Read up on it and be informed: http://ballotpedia.org/California_Proposition_47,_Reduced_Penalties_for_Some_Crimes_Initiative_%282014%29
From Newt Gingrich's editorial on the proposition:
It's not often the voters can change the course of a criminal justice system. Californians should take advantage of the opportunity and vote yes on Proposition 47 [...] California has an alarmingly high recidivism rate: Six out of 10 people exiting California prisons return within three years. It makes no sense to send nonserious, nonviolent offenders to a place filled with hardened criminals and a poor record of rehabilitation -- and still expect them to come out better than they went in.
This Tuesday, Nov 4th, in the midterm elections: Read, vote, and help take a step towards ending the war on drugs.
EDIT: a word.
God dammit now I agree with Newt Gingrich about something