CA Lawmakers Hold Hearing on Cannabis Packaging
A “joint” hearing of the CA Joint Legislative Audit and Asm. Business and Professions Committee was held in Sacramento on February 17 addressing cannabis packaging and its attractiveness to children....
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California Cannabis Bills for 2026
Several cannabis bills have been introduced in the California legislature, many of them on the deadline of February 20. Cal NORML will be tracking the following: AB 1826 (Lackey) Cannabis:...
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Have You Been Discriminated Against by A Kaiser Permanente Doctor for Using Cannabis? Join Cal NORML’s Action Demanding Kaiser Change Its Policy.
California NORML and our supporters worked hard in 2022 to sponsor and pass AB 1954, to protect medical marijuana patients against discrimination by their doctors. This was in response to numerous complaints...
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Medical Marijuana Shipping Bill Scrapped
UPDATE 2/26/26 – The cannabis language in the bill has been erased, following opposition from some in the cannabis industry, concerned that it would open the door to broader shipping. ...
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Disposable Vape Ban Bill Amended to Remove Cannabis Vapes
UPDATE 1/26/2026: Asm. Irwin’s bill to ban disposable vapes passed in the Assembly Appropriations committee and was headed for a floor vote when it was amended to remove cannabis vapes...
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WEST SACRAMENTO HALTS CANNABIS EQUITY LICENSING
UPDATE: City councilmembers heard from several patients, activists and West Sacramento residents in support of cannabis equity at their meeting on 1/21/2026. The City of West Sacramento is choosing to...
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Jack London, California Cannabis Pioneer
Last night was like a thousand years. I was obsessed with indescribable sensations, alternative visions of excessive happiness and oppressive moods of extreme sorrow. I wandered for aeons through countless...
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Cal NORML Launches Vape Pen Safety Study
California NORML is sponsoring a laboratory study to investigate the safety of electronic vape pens. The study is designed to measure toxic emissions such as benzene, formaldehyde, and heavy metals...
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CANNABIS REFORM BOGS DOWN IN D.C. SWAMP
Efforts to reform federal cannabis laws remain stuck on hold in Washington, D.C. There is no indication as to whether the administration plans to move marijuana from Schedule I to...
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State, Federal Hemp Bans Flummox Consumers – A Cal NORML Report
State and federal lawmakers have moved to clamp down on hemp products, leaving Californians at a loss to legally obtain natural hemp CBD medications. The California Department of Public Health...
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50 Years of Progress in Cannabis Reform, Brought to You by Cal NORML
A 50 year timeline of successful California NORML campaigns, showing our progress expanding and protecting the rights of California cannabis consumers since 1972.
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California Bills Addressing Cannabis Taxes, Hemp, Research Signed into Law; Direct-Access Bill for Patients Vetoed
UPDATED 10/13/2025 Six cannabis-related bills made it through the legislature this year and four were signed into law, while ten failed to advance. A bill from Asm. Haney to rollback...
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WE DID IT! Gov. Newsom Signs AB 564 to Lower CA’s Cannabis Excise Tax Back to 15% on October 1
Governor Newsom has signed the Cal NORML-sponsored bill, AB 564 (Haney), to roll back the cannabis excise tax increase that happened on July 1 from 19% back to 15% on...
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CDPH Holds Hearing on CA Hemp Regulations
Read the hearing transcript: Public Hearing Serving Size and Age for Industrial Hemp Transcript Regulations webpage: DPH-24-005E Emergency Regulations for Serving Size, Age, and Intoxicating Cannabinoids for Industrial Hemp...
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Q3 Tariffs & Trends: How Global Policy Is Hitting California Cannabis
By Thomas Andersen, BTA Cannabis CPA Tax The new tariffs have undoubtedly hurt the cannabis industry when it comes to manufacturing, packaging materials, and finished goods. However, as Q3 unfolds,...
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Initial Impacts of The California Cannabis Excise Tax Increase
Cal NORML put out word through our email alert list this week asking cannabis consumers and businesses to tell us about the initial impacts of the 26% excise tax increase...
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AB 564 to Stop a Cannabis Tax Increase Heads to Senate Appropriations Committee
UPDATE September 10, 2025 – AB 564 has passed both houses of the California legislature and is heading to the Governor’s desk. UPDATE July 9, 2025 – On the 50th...
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Cal NORML Celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Marijuana Decriminalization in California in July
July 9, 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of California’s landmark marijuana decriminalization law, the Moscone Act, which reduced the penalty for possessing an ounce or less of marijuana from a...
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Related posts: Join Us at Lobby Day in Sacramento on March 24, 2025 Cal NORML Celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Marijuana Decriminalization in California in July What California Cannabis Companies...
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Arrested for a Joint in California Before 1976? We Want to Hear From You
Were you arrested for possessing an ounce or less of marijuana in California before 1976? If so, Cal NORML would like to hear your story. This year marks the 50th...
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