A map of California highlights Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Nevada, Santa Cruz, Sonoma, and Trinity counties in green. Text reads: "Budist 2025 California Cannabis Harvest Report" with a cannabis leaf icon. Forest graphics border the image. Ca NORML

Budist 2025 California Cannabis Harvest Report Released

A well-attended event in Berkeley on Saturday, May 16 presented the Budist 2025 California Cannabis Harvest Report, with outdoor farmers represented from the report’s covered counties: Humboldt, Trinity, Mendocino, Sonoma, Lake, Nevada and Santa Cruz. Starting from DCC dashboard numbers and adding in the number of licensees producing outdoor crops, the report highlights farmers and cultivars …

Read more

A book open to a page titled "Federal and State Marijuana Laws" sits on a desk beside a judge's gavel and references to Federal Legal Compliance for California M-License Operators. Ca NORML

California M-License Operators in a Bifurcated Federal World: A Legal Deep Dive on DOJ’s April 2026 Rescheduling Order

by  The Law Office of Shay Aaron Gilmore On April 22, 2026, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche signed the most consequential federal cannabis order in more than five decades. The order immediately moves both FDA-approved cannabis products and state-regulated medical cannabis products from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). At …

Read more

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 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 …

Read more

A diverse group of people, including individuals with mobility aids, stands smiling on steps in front of a grand building. Many wear lanyards, hinting at a Cal NORML conference or event gathering. The backdrop features large, decorative doors celebrating their accomplishments. CA Norml

Join Us at Lobby Day in Sacramento on March 24, 2025

All Californians are invited to attend the California NORML/Americans for Safe Access Citizen Lobby Day on Monday, March 24 in Sacramento. The event will bring supporters from across the state to meet with their state representatives and make our voices heard on pending legislation affecting the rights of cannabis consumers in California. We have moved …

Read more

Oakland City Hall, 1 Frank H Ogawa Plaza, Oakland, CA

Oakland City Council To Consider Exempting Cannabis From Smoke-Free Ordinance on November 12

ACTION ALERT On Tuesday, November 12 the Oakland City Council will vote on a nonsmoking ordinance. The proposed ordinance would ban smoking or vaping of tobacco or cannabis at outdoor bars in the city, and also ban smoking/vaping in multiunit apartment dwellings with (as written) an exemption for cannabis. The Council will consider two options: …

Read more

Cal NORML Candidate Endorsements – November 2024 Election

Cal NORML has compiled votings records of California legislators on cannabis bills in the 2023/24 session. Based on these, other past records, and responses to our candidate questionnaires, we have assigned candidates grades at the NORML Smoke the Vote Guide.  Below are candidates who, because of their past record and/or stance on cannabis reform, are …

Read more

Cannabis Voting Records for California Legislators – 2023/24

Cal NORML has compiled the voting records of California’s legislators on key cannabis bills in 2023 and 2024, assigning grades based on weighted scores for their votes. Lawmakers with the worst voting records are in our “Hall of Shame” (designed in red); our “Honor Roll” (in green) is for legislators with the best records, and/or …

Read more

A diverse group of people stand in a lobby, some holding papers. At the center, a woman in a red pantsuit smiles. One person uses a wheelchair. The environment appears formal, with chandeliers and carpeted flooring, suggesting an official or celebratory event perhaps related to Compassion Programs. CA Norml

CANNABIS COMPASSION PROGRAMS AND TAXATION BILLS SIGNED, FARMER’S MARKET BILL VETOED BY GOVERNOR

GOVERNOR SIGNS CANNABIS COMPASSION BILL Governor Newsom has signed AB 2555, the cannabis compassion bill, as part of a package of bills supporting veterans in California. The high cost of medical cannabis, particularly its taxation, has made it impossible for many patients who are financially challenged to obtain a sufficient and steady supply of their …

Read more