Last night, the Ukiah Planning Commission unanimously passed an amendment to city code allowing for cannabis consumption at licensed retailers in the city. The amendment is limited in that it would allow for smoking or vaping only at outdoor sites, due to the city’s anti-smoking ordinance. It will allow for edibles or drinks to be consumed indoors.

At the meeting during the staff report, a slide was shown indicating that cities currently allowing on-site consumption include San Francisco, Oakland, Santa Rosa, West Hollywood, Palm Springs, Ojai, Port Hueneme, Coalinga, Lompoc, and National City.…

UPDATE 2/3/2023: A judge has ordered Luke’s compassionate release! He was freed today, The Weldon Project and Mission Green announced. 

Read more. Read the judge’s order. 

Luke posted on Facebook, “Today, after serving nearly 15 years in prison for operating a cannabis dispensary, I was granted my freedom. The feeling is surreal. We’ve worked toward this day for so long. This was a huge victory for my family, friends, community and the entire cannabis movement. I’ll take a moment to enjoy this, but make no mistake, there’s still much work to be done—my people need to be free—and that hard work begins now.”…

Results from Cal NORML’s 2023 Priorities Survey are in!

Thanks to all who took the time to answer the survey and let us know what cannabis reform issues are important to you. Your answers will inform our decisions about where to put our energies on behalf of California’s cannabis consumers’ rights and safety in 2023.

Some key results:

TOP PRIORITIES

• 91% said legalizing at the national level was important, the top answer
• 87% said taxes should be eliminated for medical marijuana patients with an ID card or recommendation
  
• 76% said more affordable access for medical cannabis patients was important; another 17% said it was somewhat important

TAXES

• 73% said lowering taxes on cannabis products was important, with another 20% saying it was somewhat important
• 68% said that lowering the excise tax to 5 or 10% (from 15%) would make them more likely to buy cannabis products from legal outlets.

Budget proposals from the California legislature and Governor spend cannabis tax money, and up enforcement against illegal operations

Last week, the California Assembly and Senate released budget bills for FY2023-24, including several items being funded by taxes paid by California’s cannabis consumers, including:

• $163 million for the Department of Cannabis Control
• $10 million to the CDTFA for the Cannabis Taxes Program
• $3.2 million for the Cannabis Control Appeals Panel

Also included in the identical legislative proposals are:

• $10.7 million to Fish and Wildlife ($5.9 million for biodiversity and $4.8 million for enforcement)
• $10.7 million to Water Resources Control ($7.4 million for water quality and $3.3 million for water rights).

TAKE THE 2023 CAL NORML SURVEY. WE WANT TO HEAR FROM OUR SUPPORTERS ABOUT YOUR PRIORITIES FOR NEXT YEAR.

PLEASE SUPPORT CAL NORML IN 2023

Now is the time to build on the progress we made in 2022. Please support Cal NORML with a membership donation. Click Here to Donate or see our Cal NORML store and become a member.

New cannabis laws protecting California cannabis users’ medical rights, parental rights and more took effect on January 1, 2023.

California NORML is committed to the implementation of these reforms, and would like to hear from anyone with questions about their rights under the new laws, or who is continuing to experience discrimination against cannabis consumers that is now illegal in California.…

Thirty-seven local ballot measures in 31 California cities or counties addressing cannabis licensing and/or taxation appeared on November 8, 2022 ballots (or the 10/19 ballot – Redondo Beach). Of those, 24 cities or counties passed a total of 26 cannabis measures, and 10 cities or counties failed to pass 11 measures, including Sacramento County where a majority of voters (53%) approved a taxation measure that required a supermajority vote. Three of the cities split their votes between two measures.

Read about more races at NORML’s Smoke the Vote Guide

STATEWIDE OFFICES

Gavin Newsom for Governor – winning with 57.9% of the vote

Newsom signed all the major cannabis reform bills that came to his desk in 2022, including those protecting employment rights and pain patients’ rights. He has been criticized for not pushing hard enough to reduce burdensome taxes and regulations on cannabis, but as part of this year’s state budget, he signed legislation to eliminate the cannabis cultivation tax and support equity businesses.…

Tickets to view the Zoom recording of the 11/12 program are available! Visit this link and click on the Zoom option. You will then be sent a link to view the 2-hour, informative and fun program featuring Keith Stroup, John Sinclair, Gordon Brownell, Michael & Michelle Aldrich and more.

FREE: Historical Slideshow from Event

All are invited to join California NORML in celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the 1972 California Marijuana Initiative, the world’s first cannabis legalization ballot measure, on Saturday, Nov.…

President Joe Biden announced he intends to pardon anyone with a federal conviction for marijuana possession, directing AG Garland to develop a procedure for clearing the records of an estimated 6500 Americans carrying past convictions. While the move will not release anyone currently in prison for federal marijuana sales or cultivation convictions, it will help remove barriers to employment, housing, or educational opportunities for those carrying past possession convictions on their records.

“The Justice Department will expeditiously administer the President’s proclamation, which pardons individuals who engaged in simple possession of marijuana, restoring political, civil, and other rights to those convicted of that offense,” the DOJ said in a statement.…

Celebrate Cal NORML’s 50th Anniversary with These Specials:

Cal NORML is celebrating our 50th anniversary in 2022. We have been successfully advocating for the rights of cannabis consumers in California since we were founded in 1972. To celebrate, we’re offering business membership specials.

Help us keep up the momentum with our essential legislative campaigns like Employment Rights and Pain Patients Rights. Now is not the time to stop the fight!

Join Cal NORML as a business member and get a free listing in the Cannabis Marketplace on CaNORML.org.

SACRAMENTO, September 18 – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced that he has signed several measures to strengthen California’s cannabis laws, expand the legal cannabis market and redress the harms of cannabis prohibition.

Among the bills signed were AB 2188 by Assemblymember Bill Quirk (D-Hayward), a Cal NORML-sponsored bill that protects Californians from employment discrimination based on their use of cannabis off-the-clock and away from the workplace.

“On behalf of our members, and all Californians, we thank Governor Newsom for his commitment to cannabis legalization, human rights, and workers’ rights,” said Cal NORML deputy director Ellen Komp.…

UPDATED 9/6/2022

Gov. Newsom has signed a bill (AB 1954 – Quirk) to protect the right of patients to medical treatment if they use marijuana, and the right of physicians and clinics to treat them. The bill was sponsored by Cal NORML and co-sponsored by Americans for Safe Access.

“Many physicians are under the mistaken impression that they can’t prescribe medication to patients who test positive for cannabis,” said Dale Gieringer, Director of Cal NORML. In California, many health plans, health systems, and hospitals require patients to sign agreements not to use illicit or controlled substances for the duration of their prescribed opioid treatment and agree to drug testing. …

Please donate to Cal NORML to support our advocacy work, or join as a regular or business member:

Cal NORML regular membership	Business Membership with Free Listing
$25.00 – $100.00 / year	SPECIAL: $45/month – $450/year

UPDATE 9/18/22 – Gov. Newsom Signs Bill to Protect Employment Rights of Cannabis Consumers, Other Reform Measures

9/1/22 – The California legislature has passed a Cal NORML-sponsored bill, AB 2188 (Quirk), that would ban workplace discrimination due to drug tests for inactive metabolites of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.

UPDATE 8/30: AB 2188 has passed through the Senate (in a 27-11 vote, a 2/3 majority) and also passed a concurrence vote in the Assembly. The bill is now on its way to the desk of the Governor, who will have until September 30 to sign it into law. Write a Letter in Support of AB 2188.

Updates on other bills below.

Votes in Legislature Set for August on AB 2188, Other Reform Bills

California has a chance to catch up with other states that protect employment rights for off-the-job cannabis consumers this year, with a California NORML–sponsored bill AB 2188 (Quirk).…