Cal NORML Legal Seminar 2024

SAVE THE DATE
Cal NORML Legal Seminar
January 20, 2024
Oakland, CA (and online via Zoom)
5.5 MCLE Credits Pending
Sponsor the Seminar
Learn about new California laws affecting cannabis consumers and businesses from top attorneys in the field. California attorneys can earn MCLE credits for attending.
This event will be live onsite in Jack London Square, Oakland. Attendees can also participate via Zoom.
 
PRELIMINARY AGENDA (Subject to Change) 
Doors open / sign in 9:30 AM
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM New California Cannabis Laws
Employment Rights  (Quirk AB 2188 + Bradford SB 700 bills)
Pain Patients’ Rights (AB 1954)
Ryan’s Law / Stern Bill (SB 302)
11:00 – 11:30 Cannabis Consumption Lounges and Events
Legal and liability considerations for Businesses
11:30 – 12:15  Local Issues
AB 1186
Licensing
CEQA
LUNCH BREAK 12:15 – 1:15
Competency and Ethics Presentation
1:15 – 2:00 PM Cannabis Business Law
Receiverships
Taxes
Packaging and Labeling (AB 1207, SB 508)
2:00 – 2:30 PM Hemp and Hemp-Derived Psychoactive Products 
BREAK 2:30 – 2:45
2:45 – 3:45 New Cannabis Enforcement Laws: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
3:45 – 4:15 Federal Law 
4:20 Break
4:30 – 5 PM  Psychedelic Law 
 
PRESENTERS: 

Hirsh Jain is the Founder of Ananda Strategy, a consultancy that serves many of California’s leading cannabis brands and retailers, helping guide their competitive licensing efforts, expansion strategy, regulatory compliance and M&A activity within California.
Hirsh began his cannabis journey he was 18 years old, working in UC Berkeley’s Public Defender’s Officer defending students that were accused of cannabis violations by the University. After graduating, Hirsh attended Harvard Law School, where his focus was the legal architecture and social impacts of The War on Drugs. He spent several years working in management consulting and the tech industry before joining the cannabis industry in 2018 as the West Coast Director of Government Affairs for MedMen, a Los-Angeles based cannabis retailer. He went on to work for Caliva, a San Jose-based cannabis brand, as its Director of Government Affairs. Hirsh serves on the Board of Los Angeles and California NORML and the Los Angeles Cannabis Chamber of Commerce, and is as a Workshop Instructor at Success Centers, a San Francisco-based cannabis equity and educational non-profit.
 

Lauren Mendelsohn is a cannabis attorney and activist. In college at the University of Maryland, Lauren was involved with NORML and Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP). When she moved to the West Coast for law school at the University of California, Irvine, she started a new chapter of Law Students for Sensible Drug Policy there, and became an active member of Orange County NORML.
She is now the Senior Associate Attorney at the Law Offices of Omar Figueroa in Sonoma County, one of the leading cannabis law firms in the California cannabis space. Lauren focuses on cannabis permitting and licensing, regulatory compliance, intellectual property, government affairs (including drafting local ordinances and citizen initiatives, lobbying decision-making bodies, and appearing for clients at administrative hearings), and post-conviction relief. She sits on the boards of the International Cannabis Bar Association and the Sonoma County Growers Alliance.
 

William Panzer is a graduate of the University of California Berkeley and Golden Gate University School of Law. He has been practicing law in the Bay Area for thirty years, specializing in cannabis defense. Panzer is a co-author of California’s Proposition 215, the nation’s first law legalizing the use of cannabis by patients pursuant to a physician’s recommendation. In his practice he has represented patients, growers, and medical cannabis dispensaries throughout California in state and federal court, at both the trial and appellate level.
Bill has lectured at numerous NORML legal seminars, conferences and other events on cannabis law and related issues. He is a former winner of the NORML “Al Horn Award” and a two-time winner of the Sonoma Alliance for Medical Marijuana’s “Compassion In Action” Award, as well as a High Times magazine “Freedom Fighter of the Month.”
More to be announced
 
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Sponsor Cal NORML’s 2024 Legal Seminar

Read more about the Legal Seminar
Sponsoring the sixth annual Cal NORML Legal Seminar on January 20, 2024 is a great way to raise visibility for your company among the top cannabis attorneys, businesspeople, and consumers in California.
Sponsorship will position and brand your business as one that is helping to move cannabis issues forward. We expect 50-100 attendees at the event.
SPONSORSHIP LEVELS
• $5,000 Platinum
• $2,500 Gold
• $1000 Silver
• $500 Bronze
 
WHAT YOU GET 
$500 Bronze
• One free ticket to the Seminar
• Banner ad on the Legal Seminar Website Page
$1000 Silver
• All of the above, plus:
• One Cal NORML eblast sponsorship
$2,500 Gold
• All of the above, plus:
• One-year  legal referral guide listing on CaNORML.org
• Two free tickets to the seminar
$5,000 Platinum
• All of the above, plus:
• Announcement of sponsorship on all our social media accounts
• One year listing and banner ad on CaNORML.org
If you have any questions or would like to become a sponsor, please email us.
 
The post Sponsor Cal NORML’s 2024 Legal Seminar appeared first on CaNorml.org.

Appeals Court Rejects Federal Gun Ban for Marijuana Consumers

“In short, our history and tradition may support some limits on an intoxicated person’s right to carry a weapon, but it does not justify disarming a sober citizen based exclusively on his past drug usage.”
The post Appeals Court Rejects Federal Gun Ban for Marijuana Consumers appeared first on NORML.

The Fight for Legalization Doesn’t Take a Summer Break

NORML’s work for cannabis consumers never takes a vacation.
The post The Fight for Legalization Doesn’t Take a Summer Break appeared first on NORML.

Spending the Summer Interning with NORML – Marlie

Summer ’23 Intern Marlie Thompson details her experience interning with NORML
The post Spending the Summer Interning with NORML – Marlie appeared first on NORML.

Gallup Polling Highlights Partisan Gap in Support for Marijuana Legalization

Overall, 83 percent of Democratic-leaning respondents endorsed legalization as compared to 55 percent of Republican-leaning respondents.
The post Gallup Polling Highlights Partisan Gap in Support for Marijuana Legalization appeared first on NORML.

Washington: State Launches Online Reimbursement Portal for Those with Past Marijuana Convictions

State officials are set to begin providing financial reimbursements to hundreds of thousands of residents with prior convictions for the possession of marijuana and other controlled substances.
The post Washington: State Launches Online Reimbursement Portal for Those with Past Marijuana Convictions appeared first on NORML.

Cal NORML News of the Week – July 31, 2023

Weekly Newsletter of The California Chapter of the
National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws
Sign up to receive this newsletter in your inbox
Sponsor a Cal NORML Eblast and Reach our 32,000 Weekly Readers

Take Action
Support AB 1111 To Allow Small Cannabis Farmers to Sell Directly to Consumers

News of the Week
STATE

Cal NORML director Dale Gieringer (pictured pointing out Cal NORML’s founding in 1972 on the exhibit timeline) and Deputy Director Ellen Komp attended one of the final days of the California State Fair cannabis exhibit, catching a panel from DCC titled, “Why Buy Legal?” Consumers are encouraged to find nearby licensed retailers and check for stores’s licenses (including their addresses) at the DCC site. Cal NORML also lists licensed business member retailers and delivery services.

The best thing DCC could do at the CA State Fair to promote legal cannabis sales in California is to advocate for allowing sales and sampling of its cannabis award winners at the Fair, like it does for beer and wine.
Meanwhile, the influential Cal Matters published this piece this morning:
Medical cannabis paved the way for legalization in California. Now patients feel left behind

Prop. 64 mandated that the DCC conduct a study on the need for medical cannabis cooperatives, which served patients under Prop. 215. The report date was pushed back, and it was worked on and possibly completed, but never published or acted on.

NATIONAL

Sen. Dianne Feinstein Co-Sponsors SAFE Banking Bill
Senator Files Bill To Prepare For Federal Marijuana Legalization With Alcohol-Like Regulations
Senate Votes To Let People Who’ve Used Marijuana Work At Intelligence Agencies Like CIA And NSA As Part Of Defense Bill

DEA Head Pledges To Seek Federal Marijuana Rescheduling Review Timeline From HHS
Another State Liberates Cannabis: Minnesota Adult Use Legalization Law Takes Effect
Federal Judge Orders Kansas Cops To Stop ‘War’ On Drivers Coming From Legal Marijuana States
 
LOCAL

See inside one of Ventura’s first cannabis shops to open soon
Second retail cannabis store opens its doors on Broadway in Redwood City
Laguna Woods City Council approves cannabis dispensary ordinance
Belmont considering cannabis stores on El Camino Real

Cannabis values decline over 50%, Monterey County Crop Report shows

Santa Barbara became California’s legal cannabis capital. Not everyone is stoked.

60 human trafficking victims rescued during marijuana bust in Merced County

‘Dreamtown’ podcast examines how legal marijuana [sort of] transformed Adelanto

Teamster Appointed to San Francisco Cannabis Oversight Committee
 
CONSUMPTION LOUNGES

Consumption Country: The Studio Lounge in WeHo
See: Cal NORML’s List of Cannabis Lounges in CA
Download and read Cal NORML’s White Paper, Blowing Smoke About Cannabis Lounges: Onsite Consumption No Danger to Public Health

Looking for cannabis doctors, lawyers, stores, products or business services? Visit the Cal NORML Cannabis Marketplace and Support the Businesses that Support Reform!
Join Cal NORML with a business membership or renew your membership today.

BUSINESS

Mastercard ban on cannabis debit-card purchases rocks industry
It’s a stark reminder that these types of business setbacks will persist without federal cannabis reform and as long as marijuana remains illegal under U.S. law.
Only 1 in 4 cannabusinesses report making profits
“Operators continue to be impacted by taxes, strict regulatory rules, and lack of access to capital. Only one quarter (24.4%) of respondents reported profitable operations,” according to the newly released Whitney Economics Q4’22 Cannabis Operator Sentiment & Business Conditions Survey Report.

Cannabis Industry Confronts Billion-Dollar Threat: Weak Weed
Pathogen spreading among crops is cutting recreational drug’s potency, forcing growers to cull ‘dudded’ plants
Big Name Marijuana Brands Dive Into Intoxicating Hemp Products
Cannabis firms Cresco, Columbia Care to terminate $2 billion merger
Diddy Loses Bid To Create Largest Black-Owned Cannabis Company As Deal Collapses

 
LAW / CRIME
Police can’t search the trunk of a car without good cause, California court rules
Legendary tech billionaire accused of fraud in pot startup lawsuit

Marijuana farm’s ex-manager leads 10 masked men in armed robbery, authorities say
Mission Cannabis customers quash crime, disarm intruder
 
SCIENCE/HEALTH

CBD: A Potential Lead against Hair Loss, Alopecia, and its Potential Mechanisms
The American Journal of Endocannabinoid Medicine Officially Launches Under the Haymarket Media US Banner
 
CULTURE / SPORTS

Traveling The Cannabis Trail Series #1- A Cultural Journey

NBA Star Kevin Durant Said Commissioner Smelled Marijuana On Him As He Advocated For Ending THC Testing For Players

Coming Events
August 4-5 • 10 AM – 5 PM
Join OC NORML at CannaCon
Long Beach

September 2
Medical Cannabis Conference
Brought to you by Society of Cannabis Clinicians & The ReLeaf Institute
UCLA
Take 15% off on the registration fee with code SCCAffiliate15
September 9-10
Cannifest
Eureka
September 28 – October 1
Meadowlands
Camp Navarro
Early Bird Pricing through August 5
December 1-3
National Interdisciplinary Cannabis Symposium 2
Portland, OR
February 2024 (rescheduled)
Lift Cannabis Expo & Conference
San Francisco

Cal NORML has been the voice of the cannabis consumer in California for 50 years, and we need your help to keep fighting for your rights in Sacramento and across the state.
JOIN CAL NORML WITH A PERSONAL OR BUSINESS MEMBERSHIP AND SUPPORT OUR ADVOCACY EFFORTS IN 2023.

FOLLOW CALIFORNIA NORML ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER, AND INSTAGRAM

YOU CAN ALSO DOWNLOAD AND DISTRIBUTE CAL NORML’S NEWLY UPDATED LITERATURE:
Cannabis Tax Fairness in California
CA Cannabis Consumption Lounges
Medical Marijuana Patients Protected From Discrimination By Doctors in California

California Cannabis Consumers’ Employment Rights
Cal NORML Membership Pamphlet
California Cannabis Laws (printable on 8 1/2 x 14″ paper)

The post Cal NORML News of the Week – July 31, 2023 appeared first on CaNorml.org.

Study: Cannabis Use During Off-Hours Not Associated with Elevated Risk of Workplace Accidents

Consistent with prior studies, investigators reported “no difference in workplace injury risk” among those employees who consumed cannabis while away from the job versus abstainers.
The post Study: Cannabis Use During Off-Hours Not Associated with Elevated Risk of Workplace Accidents appeared first on NORML.

Another State Liberates Cannabis

The possession and home cultivation of marijuana is now legal for Minnesotans.
The post Another State Liberates Cannabis appeared first on NORML.