Ellen Komp

On Thursday, August 25, 2022 from 4:00- 5:30 pm, Cal NORML Board Members and California cannabis policy experts Hirsh Jain and Lauren Mendelsohn will host a webinar to discuss the most critical issues facing the California cannabis industry.

BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW:

PUBLIC: $25 (SCHOLARSHIP OPTIONS AVAILABLE: WRITE HERE).

CAL NORML ATTORNEY MEMBERS: $50 (WITH 1.5 HOURS CLE CREDITS – pending)

NON-MEMBER ATTORNEYS: $75 (WITH 1.5 HOURS CLE CREDITS – pending)

Lauren and Hirsh will be providing updates and their commentary on five key topics:

• Tax reform efforts at the state and local level

• The expansion of retail licensing across the state

• The impact of the provisional license deadline / CEQA compliance

• Growth in California’s illicit market

• The impact of new DCC regulations

Lauren and Hirsh will also field questions on, and lead an interactive discussion about, these five issues and how they might impact the trajectory of the California cannabis industry in the years ahead.…

Cal NORML is tracking these bills, along with state budget bills, and will be alerting our membership to upcoming hearings, and actions they can take on key bills at the proper time.  SIGN UP FOR CAL NORML’S EMAIL ALERTS TO STAY INFORMED.

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
$20.00 – $100.00 / year	$50/month – $500/year

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UPDATED 8/4/22

Two Cal NORML-sponsored bills and several other cannabis-related bills are moving through their second chambers in the California legislature.

 
This page will be updated as we learn more about candidates and races. 

The California Statewide Primary Election is on Tuesday, June 7, and the deadline to register to vote is Monday, May 23. If you miss the May 23 deadline, you can also register and vote in person through Election Day, June 7, using same-day registration.

Here are Cal NORML’s recommendations for pro-cannabis candidates in key or contentious races for the June 7 Primary Election in California. Send any input about these or other races for this guide here.

It was a good 4/20 week for cannabis reform in California!

On 4/19, AB 1954 (Quirk), to prevent discrimination of pain patients and others by their doctors for using medical cannabis, passed the Assembly Business & Professions Committee by a bipartisan vote of 18-0. That bill now moves to the Appropriations committee. Watch the hearing (starts at: 1:45).
SEND A LETTER TO YOUR LAWMAKER: Allow Doctors to Treat Patients Who Use Medical Marijuana

And on 4/20, AB 2188 (Quirk), to grant employment rights to cannabis users in California, cleared the Assembly Labor & Employment committee with a vote of 5-2.…

TAKE ACTION: 

Support Employment Rights for Cannabis Consumers in California

Allow Doctors to Treat Patients Who Use Medical Marijuana

Support Terminally Ill Patients’ Right to Use Cannabis

Support Local Access for Medical Marijuana Patients

UPCOMING HEARINGS

Monday, 4/18 – 10 AM Senate Business and Professions Committee
SB 1326 (Caballero) – interstate agreements

Monday, 4/18 – 10 AM Senate Appropriations Committee
SB 1097 (Pan) – Labeling – Oppose; amendments offered
SB 988 (Hueso) – Ryan’s law cleanup – Support
TAKE ACTION: Support Terminally Ill Patients’ Right to Use Cannabis

Tuesday, 4/19 – 9:00 AM Asm.…

By Ellen Komp

The theme of this year’s 35^th annual Women’s History Month is “Women Providing Healing, Promoting Hope.” I can’t think of a more appropriate theme to celebrate the historical (some would say, herstorical) association between women and cannabis.

GOING BACK TO THE ANCIENTS

The connection between women and herbal medicine, spiritual practices, and cannabis goes back thousands of years. My book “Tokin’ Women: A 4000-Year Herstory of Women and Marijuana” begins with the ancient Sumerian goddess Ishtar, also called the Queen of Heaven.…

Nearly 40 cannabis and drug policy related bills have been introduced in Sacramento for the 2022 legislative session. Cal NORML is evaluating and tracking these bills, along with state budget bills and will be alerting our membership to upcoming hearings, and actions they can take on key bills at the proper time.  SIGN UP FOR CAL NORML’S EMAIL ALERTS TO STAY INFORMED.

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
$20.00 – $100.00 / year	$50/month – $500/year

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This year’s pending bills include:

HUMAN RIGHTS BILLS

• AB 2188 (Quirk) is a Cal NORML-sponsored bill to end employment discrimination based on testing for inactive cannabis metabolites.

AB 2188 will prevent employers from using bodily fluids testing to discriminate against employees who consume cannabis when they are not at work, starting on 1/1/2024.

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

9/1/22 – California Legislature Passes Bill to Protect Rights of Workers Who Use Cannabis Off the Job

2/15/22 – Assembly Member Bill Quirk (D-Hayward) has introduced legislation, AB 2188, that would end discrimination based on cannabis metabolites testing by California employers.…

In news that was widely reported and joked about by Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel, a preliminary study from Oregon State University found that cannabinoids in raw cannabis (CBGA, THCA, and CBDA) have strong affinities for binding to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Researchers used affinity selection–mass spectrometry (AS-MS), which “involves incubating a therapeutically important receptor like the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein with a mixture of possible ligands such as a botanical extract,” then separating the possible active compounds using magnetic microbead affinity selection screening (MagMASS).…

Several new cannabis laws are now in effect in California for 2022.

SB-311 (Hueso), aka “Ryan’s Law,” which requires certain hospitals and healthcare facilities to allow terminal patients to use medical cannabis, took effect on January 1, 2022. The law prohibits smoking or vaping cannabis, but does allow for the use of edibles, beverages, topicals, tinctures and capsules for patients with a doctor’s recommendation to use cannabis.

Our sister organization, Americans for Safe Access, has produced a guide to Ryan’s Law for patients and providers, and a form to log complaints. …

Gov. Newsom has released an ambitious preliminary 2022-2023 budget proposal with billions of dollars for education, behavioral and mental health, housing, climate change response, business development and other projects, along with a call for cannabis tax reform and more local retail outlets in the state.

The budget proposal states:

The Administration intends to further develop a grant program this spring that will aid local governments in, at a minimum, opening up legal retail access to consumers. Further, the Administration supports cannabis tax reform and plans to work with the Legislature to make modifications to California’s cannabis tax policy to help stabilize the market; better support California’s small licensed operators; and strengthen compliance with state law.…

UPDATE 9/22: Asm. Mia Bonta’s bill AB 1706 to expedite clearing of marijuana records in California has passed and was signed into law. Thanks to all who took action on this bill!

California’s Attorney General Rob Bonta has issued an information bulletin to all district attorneys, chief justices, and court executive officers across the state calling for all prosecuting agencies and courts to “prioritize implementation of the cannabis resentencing process provided under Health and Safety Code Sec. 11361.9 so Californians can promptly obtain the relief to which they are entitled under the law.”…

In a victory for cannabis consumers, the San Jose City Council Neighborhood Services and Education Committee voted 5-0 on 12/9/2021 to exempt cannabis from a proposed Smoke-Free Housing Ordinance. The ordinance would have banned smoking and vaping of all kinds in multi-unit dwellings.

California NORML joined forces with the Silicon Valley Cannabis Alliance, MPP, ASA and other advocates in urging the council to exempt cannabis from the ban, thus limiting it to tobacco only. Advocates have previously succeeded in defeating cannabis smoking bans in West Hollywood and San Francisco.…