A large cannabis plant stands in the foreground with the U.S. Capitol and Jefferson Memorial in the background, symbolizing D.C.'s ongoing cannabis reform under a cloudy sky above the historic swamp. CA Norml

CANNABIS REFORM BOGS DOWN IN D.C. SWAMP

November 27, 2025

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 ever since. President Trump is reported to have privately indicated his interest in rescheduling to cannabusiness interests. However, his advisors are thought to have mixed views. In August, Trump declared that he was actively reviewing the question and would reach a decision in “the next

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A large cannabis leaf on a green background, with the word "CBD CANNABIDIOL" and a chemical structure diagram shown on the right side. Faded cannabis leaves in the background highlight 50 years of cannabis progress and reform. CA Norml

State, Federal Hemp Bans Flummox Consumers – A Cal NORML Report

November 27, 2025

State and federal lawmakers have moved to clamp down on hemp products, leaving Californians at a loss to legally obtain natural hemp CBD medications. The California Department of Public Health has effectively banned the sale of hemp products pending the implementation of a new state licensing system in 2028. Meanwhile, the Congress has moved to close a loophole in federal law that allowed hemp manufacturers to chemically convert the natural CBD in hemp into THC and other intoxicating cannabinoids, effectively circumventing the federal ban on marijuana. The moves have been prompted by concerns over the safety and quality of hemp

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Logo for "California NORML Reports" featuring green text for "California" with a stylized cannabis leaf above it, and bold black text for "NORML REPORTS" below—perfect for updates on CA Hemp Regulations or CDPH hearing news. CA Norml

CDPH Holds Hearing on CA Hemp Regulations

July 28, 2025

  Read the hearing transcript: Public Hearing Serving Size and Age for Industrial Hemp Transcript Regulations webpage: DPH-24-005E Emergency Regulations for Serving Size, Age, and Intoxicating Cannabinoids for Industrial Hemp 7/28/25 – The California Dept. of Public Health held a hearing today on proposed regulations extending a ban on hemp-derived products with any amount of THC, along with establishing an age limitation of 21, limiting the number of doses per container to five, etc. The full transcript of the hearing will be available later today or tomorrow, and comments are accepted until the end of business day. Write here. If

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Line graph comparing monthly California Cannabis sales and Michigan from 2021 to 2025. California sales, impacted by the Cannabis Tax Increase, decrease overall, while Michigan sales rise, with both states' numbers converging by 2025. CA Norml

Initial Impacts of The California Cannabis Excise Tax Increase

July 10, 2025

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 the old tax had me wanting to go back to the black market but with the new tax it’s even more likely that I will start looking to get my cannabis from some place cheaper,” wrote one consumer. Another wrote, “I drive to Oregon to

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An older man in a beige suit speaks into a microphone while holding a paper that reads "1,420 Californians Say: STOP HIGHER TAXES!" at a California legislative session discussing the cannabis industry and tax increase repeal (AB 564). CA Norml

AB 564 to Stop a Cannabis Tax Increase Heads to Senate Appropriations Committee

July 9, 2025

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 the Assembly by a vote of 74-0. An amendment would roll the tax back from 19% (enacted on July 1) back to 15% on October 1. It will next head to the Appropriations committee, sometime after the legislature reconvenes after its summer break on August

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Graph showing cannabis felonies in California from 1960–2020, peaking in 1975 at 85,757 before falling sharply after marijuana decriminalization and the Moscone Act, with Cal NORML noting $100 million annual enforcement savings. CA Norml

Cal NORML Celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Marijuana Decriminalization in California in July

July 7, 2025

July 9, 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of California’s landmark marijuana decriminalization law, the Moscone Act, which reduced the penalty for possessing an ounce or less of marijuana from a felony to a citable misdemeanor punishable by a $100 fine and no jail. The law, sponsored by then-Senator George Moscone and California NORML, was signed by Gov. Jerry Brown on July 9, 1975 and took effect on January 1, 1976. The Moscone Act resulted in an 80% reduction in felony marijuana arrests, saving the state an estimated $100 million per year in enforcement costs, and saving well over a million

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Cal NORML director Dale Gieringer points to a timeline about marijuana law reform in California, showing how people could be arrested for felony possession for a joint before 1976.

Arrested for a Joint in California Before 1976? We Want to Hear From You

May 27, 2025

Were you arrested for possessing an ounce or less of marijuana in California before 1976?  If so, Cal NORML would like to hear your story. This year marks the 50th anniversary of California’s landmark decriminalization law, the Moscone Act, which was sponsored by Cal NORML and decriminalized possession of one ounce of marijuana from a felony to a minor misdemeanor. The Moscone Act cut the number of marijuana felonies in California from over 100,000 to 20,000 in a year, saving the state $100 million in arrest costs, not to mention the human costs for arrestees. If you were arrested for

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A government meeting in a large, modern chamber with people seated in a semicircle. Two American flags and one California flag are displayed. A screen reads “AB 564 Haney Bill on Cannabis Tax Increase Repeal,” backed by Cal NORML. CA Norml

Cal NORML-Sponsored Bill to Halt A Cannabis Tax Increase Passes First Committee

April 22, 2025

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 budgets for the year. Please take action on our new alert targeted at the full legislature and the Governor, asking them not to increase cannabis taxes in 2025. April 22, 2025, Sacramento – By a vote of 15-0-3, the California Assembly Business and Professions Committee

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A large group gathers in front of a building with arched doorways, holding signs for cannabis advocacy. Messages like "Keep Jail for the Real Crime" and "Higher Wages, Lower Taxes" resonate. At the forefront, a person in a wheelchair champions AB 564, urging California to rethink Cannabis Tax policies. CA Norml

Lobby Day Attendees Advocate for Stopping a Cannabis Tax Increase in California

March 25, 2025

CLICK HERE TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR AB 564 TO STOP A CANNABIS TAX INCREASE! EVERY SIGNATURE HELPS. The Cal NORML/ASA Lobby Day yesterday in Sacramento brought in a score of citizen lobbyists from across the state to meet with legislators or their staffers in support of AB 564 (Haney), to halt a pending cannabis tax increase from 15% to 19% on July 1. Christina Dempsey, Deputy Director of Government Affairs at the CA Dept. of Cannabis Control, spoke to the group about the report the DCC just issued on the state of the cannabis market in California. In particular,

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A presentation slide titled "What does the data tell us?" shows a graph and text about the cannabis market in 2024. It highlights a decrease in retail sales value by 4.4%, growth in units sold by 5.2%, and a decline in licenses by 18%. Additionally, it notes that the cannabis market is maturing, with increased consumption and production despite decreasing prices, and suggests consolidation for more price stability. CA Norml

“Joint” Hearing Held on Condition of California Cannabis Industry

March 17, 2025

A “Joint” informational hearing on March 11 before the Assembly and Senate Business and Professions committees on the CA Department of Cannabis Control’s new Condition and Health of the Cannabis Industry Report presented a grim picture of the state of the industry and its future. Asm. Mike Gipson (D-LA), chair of the Assembly Revenue & Tax committee, and Asm. Sharon Quirk-Silva (D-Buena Park) who chairs the Budget subcommittee that oversees the Department of Cannabis Control (DCC), also participated. Quirk-Silva said the findings in the DCC report are “very concerning.” Active licenses and total retail sales value are both down. “Is

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Cal NORML Sponsors Bill to Block Cannabis Tax Increase

March 1, 2025

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), in order to assure adequate funding for programs funded by cannabis taxes. A bill sponsored by Cal NORML, AB 564 (Haney) would roll back this tax increase, as soon as October 1.  Cannabis is already heavily over-taxed relative to comparable products like beer, wine, and

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