Ellen Komp

January 28, 2020 – Berkeley city council voted unanimously (with one member, Sophia Hahn, absent) to allow delivery services and vape lounges in the city, culminating a two-year process that gathered public input through its cannabis commission, public health commission, and planning commission, as well as from dozens of Berkeley residents, veterans, seniors and others who spoke at the meeting largely in favor of consumption rooms.

The council also voted to direct its Public Health Department to advise them about whether to ban artificial flavorings in vape pens.…

January 21, 2020 – For the third year in a row, a bill has been to lower taxes on licensed cannabis products in California. Announced at a press conference by Asm. Rob Bonta (D-Alameda) along with co-sponsors Ken Cooley (D-Rancho Cordova) and Tom Lackey (R-Palmdale), the bill (AB 1948) seeks to eliminate cultivation taxes for three years, and lower the state excise tax from 15% to 11% during that period.

“We’re confident we’re going to get something done this year, because the industry has been patient enough,” said Asm.…

UPDATE: OEHHA Issues Notice of Modifications to Cannabis Smoke and Delta-9-THC Exposure Warnings​
The CA Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has proposed changes to the labeling of cannabis products and signage at venues​ where cannabis is smoked, vaped or dabbed following its ruling (opposed by CA NORML​) that cannabis smoke and THC are reproductive toxins. Comments regarding the proposed changes to the text of regulations will be accepted by OEHHA through October 8, 2021 at https://oehha.ca.gov/comments…

November 22, 2019 – The California Department of Tax and Fee Administration has announced two cannabis tax hikes effective January 1, 2020.  The perverse effect of this move will be to make legal, regulated cannabis even less economically competitive with the untaxed, unregulated legacy market.

Cal NORML regards the moves as steps precisely in the wrong direction, and is urging the legislature to reduce cannabis taxes instead.

The CDTFA announced that it will raise the mark-up rate by which it calculates the state excise tax from 60% to 80%. …

November 11, 2019 – At their meeting at the end of October in Los Angeles, the House of Delegates of the California Medical Association voted to adopt a recommendation stating, “That CMA oppose policies of health plans, health systems, and hospitals that have pain management programs that automatically eliminate patients who use therapeutic cannabis.”

The CMA’s new policy is consistent with federal CDC and VA policies.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in guidelines on prescribing opioid medications for pain issued in 2016, states: “Urine drug testing results can be subject to misinterpretation and might sometimes be associated with practices that might harm patients (e.g.,…

October 17, 2019 – Three California Assembly committees held a joint informational hearing on “Vaping Tobacco and Cannabis Products: Health Effects and Deficiencies in Regulation and Current Law” yesterday in Sacramento.

Committee chairs Evan Low (Business & Professions), Jim Wood (Health), and Adam Gray (Governmental Organization) made opening remarks. Wood said that he was concerned about youth vaping rates (for both nicotine and THC) and the current health crisis, saying he saw them as separate issues. Nonetheless, the issues were somewhat conflated at the hearing, as they have been throughout the crisis. …

UPDATE: THE LAW WILL TAKE EFFECT ON MARCH 1, 2020.

October 14, 2019 – Governor Newsom has signed SB 34 (Wiener), to exempt compassion programs that give away cannabis to needy patients from taxation. He also signed into law SB 223 (Hill) to allow parents to bring cannabis medicines to their children at school (if their school districts approve). Gov. Brown vetoed similar bills last year.

Newsom vetoed SB 305 (Hueso) which would have allowed terminally ill patients to use cannabis in certain health care facilities, citing federal conflicts in his veto message.…

Sign up here and get 20% off registration with the code CANORML20.

The National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) is hosting the third annual California Cannabis Business Conference this October 8-9. The event, which will take place at the Long Beach Convention Center, will gather thousands of cannabis industry leaders, policymakers and entrepreneurs to discuss and examine California’s cannabis-specific regulations, market trends, policy, advocacy, and research.

California Cannabis Business Conference is the only industry trade show focusing solely on the California market.…

PHOTO: Jason Schwartzman and Jenny Slate vape in HBO’s “Bored to Death” (2011)

Download CAL NORML’S Health Advisory on Cannabis Vape Oils

UPDATE 11/14 – A fourth death has been reported in California tied to vaping, this one apparently related to e-cigarettes. CDPH continues to urge everyone to refrain from vaping and e-cigarette use, no matter the substance or source, until the cause of vaping-associated lung disease is known.

UPDATE 10/29: CDPH’S weekly report says the VAPI case count in CA has increased to 144 but no new deaths are reported and the rate of hospital admissions has slowed. …

UPDATE 9/7/2019 – The California Dept. of Public Health has put up a website page about Risks of Vaping. 

UPDATE 9/6/2019 – Los Angeles county has reported the first death in California related to the use of e-cigarettes. Officials are holding a press conference this afternoon. 

The Center for Disease Control has announced there have been 450 cases of severe lung disease in the US possibly related to vape oils, including four deaths (in Illinois, Oregon, Indiana and Minnesota). 

“While this investigation is ongoing, consider not using e-cigarette products,” the CDC says.…

Today, on International Overdose Awareness Day, we note with sadness the recent passing of Tyler Skaggs, a 27-year-old pitcher with the LA Angels of Anaheim, who had fentanyl and oxycodone in his system when he died, as well as alcohol.

A new study published in the journal Economic Inquiry found that when state adult-use cannabis laws with legal access to marijuana are in place, the rate of opioid overdoses declines by 20-35%. A second cannabis-related study published in the same journal found that after a medical cannabis dispensary opened in a county, prescription opioid deaths fell locally by approximately 11 percent.…

The California Department of Justice has issued updated Guidelines for the Security and Non-Diversion of Cannabis Grown for Medical Use that are in keeping with the advice Cal NORML has been giving patients and collectives in the state.

The DOJ guidelines give an overview of the state marijuana laws that have passed, starting with Prop. 215 in 1996, which legalized medical cannabis, and covering Prop. 64 in 2016, which legalized recreational adult marijuana. Noting that the federal Cole memorandum was rescinded by AG Jeff Sessions, they state, “medicinal marijuana operators acting in compliance with state laws are protected from federal enforcement under the Joyce/Blumenauer Amendment until its expiration on September 30, 2019.”…

August 8, 2019 – Today, California NORML announces a fundraising campaign to support its efforts to protect the employment rights of cannabis consumers in California. All donations made to the campaign through Labor Day (September 2 will be doubled by a matching donor.

Please make a donation today to Cal NORML’s employment rights campaign!

California legalized medical marijuana in 1996, and adult recreational use in 2016, yet Californians can lose job opportunities, or be fired from their jobs, for off-the-clock use of cannabis, even with a recommendation from a doctor.…

UPDATE August 14 – Just Added! Counsel for the Bureau of Cannabis Control Tamara Colson will join us as our luncheon speaker.

Read more and buy tickets to attend the workshop. For sponsorship opportunities, contact Steve Gross at CWCBE.

August 5, 2019 – For the first time, California NORML is teaming with Cannabis World Congress & Business Expositions this September to present a cutting-edge CLE Legal Workshop for attorneys and other interested parties in conjunction with the fifth annual CWCBExpo event in Los Angeles.…