Mark Twain’s 1865 “Stoned Stoll” To Be Commemorated on Thursday, September 17 in San Francisco

September 12, 2026

WHEN: “High” Noon, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026

WHERE: Transamerica Pyramid Redwood Park, 600 Montgomery St., San Francisco. We will meet at the frog pond.

WHAT: Attendees will hear from Cal NORML deputy director Ellen Komp about Twain’s historic “stoned stroll.” We will then take a short stroll to the southwest corner of Clay & Sansome Streets, former site of Richards & Co., a drug store that sold hasheesh.

Attendees who would like to attend the event “stoned” or get that way afterwards can visit one of San Francisco’s many cannabis consumption lounges.

…

Prop. 215 activists with their Lifetime Achievement Awards, presented by the CA State Fair. Photo by Matt Allen.

Prop. 215 Activists Celebrated at CA State Fair

July 22, 2026

Prop. 215 activists were honored at the California State Fair on Saturday, in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the passage of the landmark Compassionate Use Act.

“Thirty years ago, this whole wonderful event here was inconceivable. it was a mandatory felony to grow or sell any marijuana, anywhere in the US,” Cal NORML director Dale Gieringer, a co-author of the Compassionate Use Act, said in a speech at Saturday’s event. “But a growing number of people were discovering that marijuana was useful for AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, chronic pain, and many other conditions.…

A pair of hands, one in a handcuff and the other breaking free, are raised against a background of marijuana leaves. The image suggests liberation or freedom in the context of Prop. 64 and marijuana arrests. CA Norml

Benefits of Legal Cannabis Under Prop 64

June 22, 2026

Infographic showing the benefits of legal cannabis in California under Prop 64: 215,000 crimes expunged, 80,000 jobs created, $7 billion in taxes generated, decreased crime rates, reduced arrests, no rise in auto fatalities or youth use, and increased parental rights. Ca NORML

Since Californians legalized adult cannabis use and sales 10 years ago in 2016, our state and its citizens have seen many benefits from the laws that Prop. 64 put in place.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND HUMAN RIGHTS BENEFITS

Prop. 64 has lead to reduced cannabis arrests and imprisonments. The CA DOJ reported 7,949 felony and 5,861 misdemeanor arrests in 2016 vs. 399 felony and 2,033 misdemeanors in 2025. Unfortunately, racial disparities in arrests remain.
Over 215,000 past cannabis crimes have been expunged or reduced from people’s records, opening up job and other opportunities for Californians.

…

A diverse group gathers in front of the U.S. Capitol building for Lobby Day, holding signs supporting cannabis legalization and Latino representation, during an outdoor press event organized by the Cannabis Unity Coalition on a sunny day. Ca NORML

Cal NORML Joins Cannabis Unity Coalition Lobby Day in DC

May 20, 2026

Cal NORML participated in Cannabis Unity Coalition lobby day last week in Washington, DC to lobby for full cannabis decriminalization, release of federal marijuana prisoners, and the clearing of records for past marijuana convictions.

Watch the coalition press conference held at the US Capitol at which Cannabis Caucus Co-Chairs Dina Titus (D-NV) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN) spoke, along with Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN). Read more.

Also speaking were representatives from Latino and Indigenous groups, prisoner advocates, Students for Sensible Drug Policy, NORML, MPP, DPA, and others.…

A cannabis vape pen rests atop two green cannabis leaves.

Cal NORML Pilot Study Finds Using Cannabis Vape Pens Less Harmful Than Smoked Joints

May 19, 2026

Cannabis vape pens expose users to significantly less harmful toxins than smoked joints, according to a new lab study sponsored by California NORML. The study compared the emissions of two different vape pens – a disposable and a reusable cartridge model – with pre-roll joints purchased from a San Diego dispensary. The vape pens emitted significantly cleaner emissions than the joint for almost all toxins tested, and, unlike the joint, were within EPA safe daily exposure limits for regular users.

“The dangers of vapes have been misrepresented by anti-smoking advocates to suggest their emissions are as hazardous as smoke,” says Cal NORML director Dale Gieringer. …

Cal NORML Election Guide and Results – Primary Election 2026

April 29, 2026

Cal NORML Voter Guide to Cannabis Candidates

June 2026 Primary Election

Got input on candidates or races? Write here.

Artwork: Ruth Anne

UPDATED 6/29/26

Quick Links: EXECUTIVE / CONGRESS / STATE SENATE / STATE ASSEMBLY / LOCAL

Governor

RESULTS: Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton are heading to the November run-off. Hilton recently said he thinks California’s cannabis taxes are too high.

Xavier Becerra – In 2016, as California’s Attorney General, Becerra told Politico he would be defending California’s new law legalizing marijuana against possible federal interference, and admitted he tried weed “at a younger time.”…

Justice Department Orders State-Licensed Medical Marijuana to Schedule III, Sets Hearings for Broader Rescheduling

April 23, 2026

UPDATE 5/19/26 : The DCC has issued a Notice of Rulemaking to allow for existing licensees who hold a license with both a medicinal and Adult-Use designation to be issued separate Medicinal and Adult-Use licenses.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has signed an order immediately placing both “FDA-approved drug products containing marijuana, and medicinal marijuana products subject to a qualifying state-issued license” in Schedule III. The action is taken “under his authority to reschedule drugs to carry out the United States’ obligations under the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs,” according to a press release from DOJ.…

Asm. Berman holds up a cannabis package he called, "straight out of Alice in Wonderland"

CA Lawmakers Hold Hearing on Cannabis Packaging

February 23, 2026

Asm. Berman holds up a cannabis package he called, "straight out of Alice in Wonderland" 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 audit of cannabis packaging last year. The audit determined that laws and guidance are not always clear on what constitutes a package that is attractive to children, and that the DCC’s enforcement against companies with repeated violations was lacking.…

Medical Marijuana Shipping Bill Scrapped

January 25, 2026

UPDATE 2/26/26 – The cannabis language in the bill has been erased, following opposition from some in the cannabis industry, concerned that it would open the door to broader shipping.

UPDATE 2/20/26 – During a chat with Capitol Weekly, new DCC chief Clint Kellum said (@ 19:46 in), that direct-mail options for cannabis could be “quite beneficial” to consumers, noting that most people are getting goods via Amazon, etc. Kellum said that the cannabis consumer has “quite a confusing market to deal with, in that there’s not widespread access across the state, you have intoxicating hemp cannabinoids that aren’t allowed in the state but are allowed at the federal level that make their way in through direct-to-consumer efforts, so there’s quite a bit of confusion, and having more traditional lines like direct-to-consumer would be nice.”…

A government committee meets in a large, modern hearing room; people are seated around a curved desk. The screen displays “AB 762 Irwin: Vape ban on Disposable, Battery-Embedded Vapor Inhalation Device: Prohibition.”. CA NORML

Disposable Vape Ban Bill Amended to Remove Cannabis Vapes

January 20, 2026

UPDATE 1/26/2026: Asm. Irwin’s bill to ban disposable vapes passed in the Assembly Appropriations committee and was headed for a floor vote when it was amended to remove cannabis vapes from the language.

Cal NORML favors shifting to vapes with removable batteries and developing disposal options for cannabis vape waste.

Manufacturers and retailers should explore re-designing vapes with removable batteries, and/or provide waste disposal programs for cannabis cartridges, vape pens, and batteries.

See: THE GREEN PUFF: TRANSFORMING CANNABIS VAPING INTO A SUSTAINABLE PRACTICE and

Raising the Volume: How Regulations and Consumer Market Trends Have Increased the Volume of Cannabis Packaging Waste in California

Consumers should be aware of proper disposal options for cannabis cartridges and integrated cannabis vaporizers. …

WEST SACRAMENTO HALTS CANNABIS EQUITY LICENSING

January 13, 2026

UPDATE 5/29/26: A lawsuit was filed by STASH against the city on May 22; a court hearing on the suit is scheduled for Sept. 21, case number #CV2026-1591 in Yolo County. In a press release, the plaintiff states: “This case represents a growing and deeply concerning pattern occurring throughout California, where cannabis equity programs, originally created to repair harms caused by the failed War on Drugs, are instead being manipulated, delayed, obstructed, or abandoned after applicants have already invested substantial financial resources and received approval.”…

A photograph of Jack London's hashish party on the Snark.

Jack London, California Cannabis Pioneer

January 12, 2026

Last night was like a thousand years. I was obsessed with indescribable sensations, alternative visions of excessive happiness and oppressive moods of extreme sorrow. I wandered for aeons through countless worlds, mingling with all types of humanity, from the most saintly persons down to the lowest type of abysmal brute. – Jack London, of a hashish experience

Today, January 12, 2025, is the Sesquientennial of author Jack London’s birth 150 years ago.

Jack London was California’s most celebrated literary figure at the turn of the last century.…

Cal NORML Lobby Day 2025

Cannabis Marketplace Directories