The law firm that has brought suit against Walmart in California for wrongfully terminating an employee who tested positive for cannabis reports it has been successful in gaining settlements in the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars for employees, based on a law that Cal NORML sponsored in 2022.

WorkRight Law in Cerritos, CA made the news when it filed against Walmart in July, alleging the company illegally fired an employee who tested positive for a nonpsychoactive cannabis metabolite that showed up on his urine drug test, despite lacking evidence that he possessed or used cannabis at the workplace or showed  any signs of impairment, Law360 reported.…

Cal NORML Voter Guide to Cannabis Candidates

November 2026 Election

Artwork: Ruth Anne

UPDATED: 9/8/26. We will continue to update as we gather more information about candidates. 

Registered to Vote? Visit https://registertovote.ca.gov/.
The last day to register to vote online for November 3 General Election is October 19.

County elections officials will begin mailing ballots by October 5.

Quick Links: EXECUTIVE / CONGRESS / STATE SENATE / STATE ASSEMBLY / LOCAL Measures and LA Mayor

Pro-reform candidates’ names are in green; Anti-reform in red; Neutral in black.…

LAST UPDATED 10/5/2026

SIGNED INTO LAW

AB-2249 (Irwin) Cannabis: labels, packaging and manufacturing.
Bans child-oriented imagery of candy, cereal, sweets or desserts, along with dragons, unicorns or wizards. Also banned are child-style bubble or balloon lettering, and any images of people who look under 21.

AB-2532 (Irwin) Cannabis: labels, packaging and manufacturing (beverages).
The final version of the bill states that multi-serving cannabis drinks in containers that are transparent or otherwise visibly display the amount of liquid inside must feature “unobstructed and conspicuous lines delineating individual serving or portion sizes,” the new law says.…

UPDATE 6/25/2026 – KPFA radio in Berkeley ran a story on June 24 (at 33:20 in the broadcast) about Cal NORML’s action against Kaiser Healthcare over their discriminatory practices against medical marijuana patients. A Kaiser spokesperson claimed their doctors are making case-by-case decisions on providing healthcare. However, Cal NORML deputy director Ellen Komp was quoted saying patients are reporting that Kaiser doctors tell them their hands are tied by company policy when it comes to treating them. Kaiser patient Victor Pinho, who has been denied ADD medication at Kaiser, was also quoted, confirmed that his doctors have told him that Kaiser policy interferes with their prescribing options.…

Learn how you can help sustain Cal NORML’s essential advocacy and lobbying efforts in the coming years, while providing a helpful needed service to your customers that will boost your sales.

California NORML is excited to announce a new partnership with Banking and Merchant Specialist, Ian Rassman of Rassman Payments. This new collaboration will benefit our business members while generating essential funds for Cal NORML with each tap of your customers’ payment cards.

You’ll enjoy all applicable processing services at extremely competitive rates alongside personalized service from a team that understands the cannabis industry.…

Starting on January 1, 2024, most Californians are protected by a Cal NORML-sponsored bill which states that employers may not refuse to hire, fire, or penalize an employee based on the results of hair or urine tests for marijuana. A second law disallows asking about past marijuana use by prospective employees. 

Download a Fact Sheet for Employees

Download a Fact Sheet for Employers

The new law (AB 2188 – GC 12954) prohibits employers from discriminating against a person who has tested positive for non-psychoactive cannabis metabolites in their urine, hair, or bodily fluids.…

Now is the time to build on the progress we made in 2023! Please support Cal NORML with a membership donation. Click Here to Donate or see our Cal NORML store and purchase merchandise.

Giving Tuesday / End of Year Special: Get a Free Gift with Your Cal NORML membership through 12/31/23.

LEGISLATIVE GAINS

Once again this year, Cal NORML and its supporters actively lobbied on 40-50 bills affecting California cannabis consumers and the industry.…

DOWNLOAD A FLYER ABOUT CANNABIS CONSUMPTION LOUNGES IN CALIFORNIA.

See a List of Cannabis Consumption Lounges in California. 

Also see: Cannabis Consumption Lounges: Mitigating Risks
Information about opening and operating a consumption lounge from Cal NORML board member and attorney Lauren Mendelsohn.

CANNABIS CONSUMPTION SPACES ARE NEEDED IN CALIFORNIA 

While it’s legal for adults and medical patients to possess and grow marijuana in California, using it can be a problem.  Unlike tobacco or alcohol, cannabis is illegal to consume in any public place – even in edible form. …

UPDATES

2/11/2024: We would like to hear from people who have benefited—e.g. gotten a job or qualified for education or housing—because their marijuana criminal records have been expunged​. A journalist has contacted us who is trying to measure the impact expungement has had. Anonymity guaranteed if requested. Reply here.​

10/4/2023: A new report from the Last Prisoner Project gives A grades to only two states, California and Minnesota, judging from their legalization laws and resentencing policies on past marijuana crimes.…

View and Download this information as a Fact Sheet

Download a Fact Sheet for Employers

Starting on January 1, 2024, most Californians are protected by a Cal NORML-sponsored bill (AB 2188 – GC 12954) which states that employers may not refuse to hire, fire, or penalize an employee based on the results of hair or urine tests for marijuana. Employees may not be impaired by cannabis on the job, and may be subject to an oral swab or blood test.…

UPDATE 2/15/23:

DEA Classifies Novel Cannabinoids Delta-8 And -9 THCO As Controlled Substances, Even When Synthesized From Legal Hemp

 NORML has always warned that delta-9-THCO is illegal under the Synthetic Analogues Act.  This DEA decision also applies to delta-8-THCO, which shouldn’t be confused with the more popular delta-8 THC.

A new study by Benowitz et al. [1] raises safety concerns about THC-O acetate, a potent psychoactive cannabinoid derived from hemp that is being marketed on the internet and unlicensed stores. The authors warn that THC-O acetate could potentially cause EVALI lung disease when vaped or smoked.…

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 purchase merchandise.

It was a banner year for cannabis reform measures in 2022, in no small part due to the efforts of California NORML and our supporters.

LEGISLATIVE GAINS

Cal NORML lead a successful legislative effort to protect the employment rights of California’s cannabis consumers, along with a second bill to protect medical marijuana patients against discrimination by their doctors.…

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

 

Cal NORML PRIORITIES FOR 2022

• Pass employment rights legislation to forbid pre-employment drug testing for marijuana using urine and hair tests.
• Pass legislation to end discrimination against pain patients who are denied medication for using cannabis.

Please support Cal NORML with a 2021 membership!

When 2020 began, dozens of bills addressing cannabis were introduced in Sacramento, including a Cal NORML–sponsored bill to protect employment rights of medical marijuana users, and another bill we endorsed to lower taxes on cannabis, plus a bill to help with the persistent roadblock of local licensing.

At the end of January, we testified before Berkeley City Council at a pair of contentious meetings that pitted activists in favor of opening a vape lounge in Berkeley against anti-tobacco forces that tried to argue second-hand marijuana smoke is harmful.…

Two special elections are being held on Tuesday, May 12, in Congressional District 25 (parts of LA and Ventura counties) and in State Senate District 28 (in Riverside county).

Vying for the open Congressional seat left vacant by Rep. Katie Hill are Democrat Christy Smith and Republican Mike Garcia.

Smith, a California Assemblywoman, has a good voting record on cannabis reform measures. Last year, she voted in favor of laws to enable tax-free donations for compassion programs, to  allow medicinal cannabis to be administered at school sites and healthcare facilities.…

Cal NORML keeps our members informed of cannabis news at the federal, state, and local levels through our newsletter, website, and weekly email alerts, as well as public outreach tables at events. Through NORML’s networks we generate thousands of constituent letters in favor of progressive bills, and against ones that take away our rights.

Now is not the time to stop the fight! Please support Cal NORML with a membership donation. Click Here to Donate or see our Cal NORML store and purchase merchandise.…

Arkansas
For the purposes of medical care, including without limitation organ transplants, a qualifying patients use of marijuana in accordance with this amendment is considered the equivalent of the authorized use of any medication used at the direction of a physician and does not constitute the use of an illicit substance.…