A “joint” hearing of the CA Joint Legislative Audit and Asm. Business and Professions Committee was held in Sacramento on February 17 addressing cannabis packaging and its attractiveness to children. Chair of the Joint Legislative Audit committee John Harabedian (D-Pasadena) opened the hearing and turned it over to Asm. Jacqui Irwin (D-Ventura) who requested an …
Several cannabis bills have been introduced in the California legislature, many of them on the deadline of February 20. Cal NORML will be tracking the following: AB 1564 (Ahrens) – Medicinal cannabis: shipments AB 1826 (Lackey) Cannabis: recall, embargo, and destruction of cannabis and cannabis products. AB 1965 (Sharp-Collins) Cannabis: testing: quality assurance. AB-2249 (Irwin) …
California NORML and our supporters worked hard in 2022 to sponsor and pass AB 1954, to protect medical marijuana patients against discrimination by their doctors. This was in response to numerous complaints we received from patients, particularly those in the Kaiser Healthcare system, telling us that their doctors were drug testing them and denying them care—including opioid …
Tell us: Would AB 1564 benefit you? How might it be expanded to benefit more patients and farmers? Asm. Patrick Ahrens (D-Silicon Valley) has introduced a bill, AB 1564, to allow for the shipment of certain medical products from specified cannabis license holders directly to patients. Ahrens’s attempt at the bill last year, AB 1332, passed …
Efforts to reform federal cannabis laws remain stuck on hold in Washington, D.C. There is no indication as to whether the administration plans to move marijuana from Schedule I to III, as proposed by the Biden administration in April 2024. The DEA’s leadership has expressed skepticism about the proposal and has been sitting on it …
Governor Newsom has signed the Cal NORML-sponsored bill, AB 564 (Haney), to roll back the cannabis excise tax increase that happened on July 1 from 19% back to 15% on October 1, 2025. Thanks to all Cal NORML’s supporters who helped lobby for the bill (including at our Lobby Day in March), and all who …
Cal NORML put out word through our email alert list this week asking cannabis consumers and businesses to tell us about the initial impacts of the 26% excise tax increase that hit cannabis in California on July 1. Several consumers and businesses reported damaging repercussions; some of the responses are below. “To be honest even …
UPDATE September 10, 2025 – AB 564 has passed both houses of the California legislature and is heading to the Governor’s desk. UPDATE July 9, 2025 – On the 50th anniversary of cannabis decriminalization in California, AB 564 passed through the Senate Revenue and Tax committee, its first stop in the Senate after passing in …
WRITE TO YOUR LEGISLATORS AND GOV. NEWSOM AND ASK THEM NOT TO RAISE CANNABIS TAXES IN 2025 Update 5/8/2025 – AB 564, to halt a cannabis tax increase this year, passed through its second committee with another unanimous vote. It now goes to Assembly Appropriations. Meanwhile, the Governor and both legislative houses are finalizing their …
UPDATE 7/10/2025 – Please send a letter to your state Senator asking them to pass AB 564 to roll back cannabis taxes. California raised its excise tax on cannabis from 15% to 19% on July 1, 2025, as part of a budget compromise made when the cannabis cultivation tax was removed via AB 195 (2022), …