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Four law enforcement officers, including two labeled as "Sheriff" and one as "Task Force," inspect hanging cannabis plants partially covered by a tarp in an outdoor setting. This appears to be a raid or investigation, possibly involving the California Bureau of Cannabis Control's policing power. CA Norml

California Bureau of Cannabis Control Asks for More Policing Power; DEA Powers Expanded to Target Protesters

As California cannabis businesses are being targeted for violent robberies across the state, the CA Bureau of Cannabis Control is asking for an 87-member police force to beef up its crackdown on unlicensed cannabis operations. It would create the law enforcement branch by hiring 29 more cannabis cops, and absorbing 58 positions from the Department of Consumer Affairs’ Cannabis Enforcement Unit, which has 47 police and 11 non-sworn personnel on staff.

According to The Sacramento Bee, the bureau seized nearly 24 tons of illicit cannabis in 2019, while the California Highway Patrol in 2018 seized more than 80 tons.…

The image shows a large white classical-style building with a prominent dome, decorated with a small flag on top, and flanked by two wings. The building, where locals once banned cannabis deliveries, is surrounded by lush green trees and set against a clear blue sky. CA Norml

Bill Allowing Locals to Ban All Cannabis Deliveries Defeated in Committee

April 9, 2019 – AB 1530, a bill that would have allowed local jurisdictions to ban cannabis deliveries originating outside their jurisdictional borders, was defeated in its first committee hearing today after cannabis activists and industry representatives objected to the bill.

Cal NORML wrote to the committee and testified against the bill, and promulgated an Action Alert that generated hundreds of letters to lawmakers in opposition. Thanks to all of our members and supporters who took action!

In introducing the bill, Asm.…

A man at a counter in a hotel. CA Norml

California Has Legalized Marijuana: What’s Next?

With the passage of Prop. 64 by California voters in November 2016, it is now legal for all adults over 21 to purchase and use cannabis in California. Read more about your rights in California.

It’s a new day, but there is still much work to be done!  Here are some of the areas where Cal NORML continues to be active for your rights.

– We still don’t have our full human rights: currently, you can lose your job in California for using cannabis, even for medical use. …

A woman stands at a podium addressing the city council of Mountain View about ordinance changes. She has long hair and is wearing a blue and brown outfit. Seated individuals in the background listen attentively. The display shows "City Council on 2019-03-05 4:30 PM - JOINT... CA Norml

Epic Mountain View Meeting Leads to Cannabis Ordinance Changes

UPDATE: Mountain View City Council May 23 scrapped a plan to allow two retail marijuana stores and two delivery services to open in town, instead deciding to allow three delivery businesses. Source.

The Mountain View planning commission had voted to amend the ordinance to only allow one cannabis business in the city’s downtown area, prohibit the businesses in and around the San Antonio Center shopping area and mandate a 600-foot buffer zone between storefront cannabis businesses. Source. 

A woman stands at a podium addressing the city council of Mountain View about ordinance changes. She has long hair and is wearing a blue and brown outfit. Seated individuals in the background listen attentively. The display shows "City Council on 2019-03-05 4:30 PM - JOINT... CA NormlMarch 6, 2019 – At a six-hour hearing held on March 5 in Mountain View, the city council voted against banning cannabis dispensaries in the city, and directed staff to bring back potential amendments to their ordinance allowing for four cannabis businesses that has already seen 10 Phase 1 applicants for licenses.…

A scenic view of San Francisco at sunset with the Golden Gate Bridge in the foreground. The city's skyline, including high-rise buildings, is illuminated by a warm, golden light, while the sky is filled with a gradient from dark to light hues. San Francisco's progressive stance on marijuana convictions adds to its modern charm. CA Norml

San Francisco to Present Over 9,000 Past Marijuana Convictions for Resentencing or Expungement

A scenic view of San Francisco at sunset with the Golden Gate Bridge in the foreground. The city's skyline, including high-rise buildings, is illuminated by a warm, golden light, while the sky is filled with a gradient from dark to light hues. San Francisco's progressive stance on marijuana convictions adds to its modern charm. CA NormlFebruary 25, 2019 – As reported in the San Francisco Chronicle and the LA Times, San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón announced that his office will move to wipe out more than 9,000 marijuana-related convictions, following California’s vote for legalization in 2016.

Teaming with the nonprofit technology company Code for America, the DA’s office said it has identified 9,362 eligible cases dating back to 1975 using the company’s “Clear My Record” technology. Gascón will present the cases to a judge in the coming weeks for final approval.…

A man in a suit gestures with his right hand while speaking at a podium. The podium displays a gold seal. A purple screen is visible in the background, and he discusses California's National Guard efforts. CA Norml

Gov. Newsom to Deploy the National Guard Against Marijuana Grows in California

February 20 – Governor Gavin Newsom plans to reassign 360 of the state’s California National Guard from the US-Mexico border to tackle wildfire preparedness and illicit marijuana grows in Northern California. In a February 11 press release and his State of the State speech on February 12, the governor announced that at least 150 California National Guard troops will join a federally funded Counterdrug Task Force he said he will be “redeploying up north to go after all these illegal cannabis farms, many of which are run by the cartels that are devastating our pristine forests and increasingly themselves becoming fire hazards.”

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Two people are sitting at a radio studio table, laughing and engaged in conversation. The table has microphones, a laptop, and various beverages. The backdrop shows a variety of bottles. "The Breakfast Club" logo is visible in the bottom right corner as they discuss topics like marijuana legalization and Kamala Harris. CA Norml

Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris Says She Smoked Marijuana, Favors Legalization

Two people are sitting at a radio studio table, laughing and engaged in conversation. The table has microphones, a laptop, and various beverages. The backdrop shows a variety of bottles. "The Breakfast Club" logo is visible in the bottom right corner as they discuss topics like marijuana legalization and Kamala Harris. CA NormlCA Senator and Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris has admitted she smoked pot in her past, and says she is “absolutely in favor of legalizing marijuana,” harkening to her half-Jamaican heritage and citing the mass incarceration resulting from cannabis prohibition, particularly of young
black men.

Interviewed on The Breakfast Club radio show in NYC, Harris called for more research into marijuana’s effect on developing brains, and into measuring impairment of drivers using cannabis.

Harris said she smoked joints (not blunts) when she was in college, while listening to music by marijuana-lover Snoop Dogg and Tupac Shakur.…

Under the warm glow of a California sunset, a group of eight people stands in a circle in an outdoor lush green field, raising their hands and holding each other's hands up high. Most are wearing hats, and a few are shirtless. Wooden beams are visible overhead, and the background shows dense leafy plants. CA Norml

California Cannabis Collective Law to Sunset on January 9, 2019

December 19, 2018 – A little-noticed looming deadline will make nonprofit collectives and cooperatives dispensing cannabis to medical patients illegal in California starting on January 9, 2019.

Proposition 215, passed by the voters of California in 1996 and still in effect today, protects only the personal use and cultivation of medical marijuana for patients, or their primary caregivers who cultivate for them. Recognizing the need for systems of distribution, the California legislature passed SB420 in 2004, allowing patients to form nonprofit medical cannabis collectives or cooperatives, under which cultivation and distribution were protected under state law.…