Federal health officials concluded, “The risks to the public health posed by marijuana are low compared to other drugs of abuse,” such as benzodiazepines — a Schedule IV drug, or alcohol, which is unscheduled.
The post NORML Op-Ed: Is The Government Finally Abandoning Its ‘Flat Earth’ Marijuana Policies? appeared first on NORML.
Please support Cal NORML with a personal or business membership to help us advance cannabis consumers rights in California!
Here are bills that Cal NORML is tracking or lobbying on in California for 2024. Some are two-year bills carried over from last year, with various deadlines for them to see hearings, depending on their progress last year.
AB 1775 (Haney) – would allow cannabis businesses to prepare and sell noncannabis, nonalcoholic food and drinks in a “cannabis café” model boosting both the industry and the consumer experiences. A similar bill was vetoed by Gov. Newsom last year. Cal NORML is sponsoring this bill and is working to address concerns raised by the Governor in his veto message. TELL YOUR LAWMAKER TO VOTE FOR AB 1775.
AB 1610 (Jones-Sawyer) – would address cannabis recall orders and laboratory practices, working towards more accurate testing results and better consumer safety. Cal NORML is also sponsoring this bill and is reaching out to experts and stakeholders for input on the bill’s language.
AB-2223 (Aguiar-Curry) – would help address the proliferation of unlicensed, intoxicating hemp-derived products in California. Cal NORML supports this effort.
SB 1059 (Bradford) – clarifies cannabis taxation. Cal NORML suports cannabis tax reform in California.
SB 1064 (Laird) – a “spot” bill that states the intent of the Legislature to enact subsequent legislation to strengthen the state’s legal cannabis market.
AB-2296 (Villapudua) – would add a sentencing enhancement for illegally manufacturing concentrated cannabis if it occurs in a structure where a child under 16 years of age is present or causes a child under 16 years of age to suffer great bodily injury.
Republican lawmakers are seeking to preemptively restrict Florida’s adult-use market ahead of the Court’s ruling and before voters have had any opportunity to weigh in on it.
The post Florida: Lawmakers Advance Bills to Preemptively Restrict Consumers’ Choices Ahead of Legalization Vote appeared first on NORML.
Young adults, men, and Democrats were most likely to report being current cannabis consumers.
The post Gallup: One In Six Adults Acknowledge Current Use of Cannabis appeared first on NORML.
Prohibiting adults from accessing these products from state-licensed retailers will not eliminate consumers’ demand for them. Rather, it will encourage consumers to seek out higher-THC products in the unregulated market.
The post NORML Op-Ed: Setting Caps on THC Potency Is Poor Policy appeared first on NORML.
Read about all federal and state races, candidates’ voting records, and more at NORML’s Smoke the Vote Guide
Every registered voter in California will receive a vote-by-mail ballot for the March 5 primary election. Ballots will be mailed on or before February 5 and can be returned as soon as they are received. Vote-by-mail drop boxes open February 6 and in-person voting will be available in all California counties.
The deadline to register to vote online is February 20th. You can check your voter status online. If you need to register after February 20, you can do so at your county elections office.
In California, you can vote even if on parole, probation, or post-release community supervision. See information about having voting rights restored after serving a state or federal prison term for a felony conviction.
Cal NORML is in the process of updating the NORML Smoke the Vote Guide for the primary election. You can send information about candidates or measures through that portal or here.
Presidential Primary
California has open primaries, meaning all voters can vote for candidates of any party, even for partisan offices. The exception is the Presidential primary, where the Republican, Green and Peace & Freedom parties aren’t allowing cross-over voting by Californians not registered to any party, but the Democratic, American Independent, and Libertarian parties are if a form is filled out and returned to county elections offices or brought to a polling place.
Read about Presidential candidates at NORML’s Smoke the Vote Guide
California Senate Race
Three Democratic Congress Members and a Republican ex-baseball player are the top candidates vying for the CA Senate seat vacated when Dianne Feinstein died. Laphonza Butler, who was appointed by Gov. Newsom to fill the seat, is not running for election to the seat. Feinstein’s term was set to expire in January 2025. In the March 5 Primary Election, voters will have the full-term contest on their ballot, and they will also see a separate contest for the remainder of the unexpired term ending in January 2025.
Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) is a longtime friend and champion of the marijuana reform movement. She was a staffer for Rep. Ron Dellums, one of the first Congress members to advocate marijuana reform in the 1970s, and continued to support marijuana reform as a state legislator and Congress member during the darkest days of the drug war. A strong racial justice advocate, Rep. Lee denounces cannabis laws for their disproportionate impact on minorities. Lee is a Co-Chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus. She was a leading co-sponsor of the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, the first-ever federal legalization bill to be approved (twice, in 2019 and 2021) by the House of Representatives. At age 77, Rep. Lee is the most senior major candidate in the race, but also the most likely to push cannabis as a high-priority issue in the Senate.
Adam Schiff (D-West LA, Valley), is the frontrunner and top money earner in the race. He is best known for leading the House impeachment investigation of Donald Trump, but has been more reticent on cannabis and criminal justice reform. He has typically voted well on cannabis bills, but has generally held off from co-sponsoring them. One exception is the STATES Act of 2018-9, a Trump-era bill that would have protected the legality of state marijuana laws.
Katie Porter (D-Orange County) is co-chair of the Democratic Progressive Caucus. A single mom, she takes pride in being the only candidate who never accepts corporate donations. She is particularly well versed in economic issues, but has consistently voted well on marijuana bills. She has participated in the Congressional cannabis caucus and co-sponsored the MORE legalization act. Porter is the only single mother in Congress. She was voted toughest questioner in Congress for her tough questions to corporate executives on wage and banking issues. Porter is fighting to beat out Republican Steve Garvey in the race for second place in the primary, so she can run face-to-face in the runoff against her Democratic colleague Adam Schiff, who is leading the polls. Porter was the first Democrat to be elected to represent her district, which covers much of south-central Orange County.
Ex-baseball star Steve Garvey is fighting to come in second in the primary so as to make the runoff as a Republican in this open primary. A political novice, Garvey has been vague about his views on practically everything. However, he has some experience with cannabis: He is boosting a CBD topical product line known as Level Select. “It keeps me in the game of life at 73,” he told Market Watch. But he has made it clear his products do not contain THC.
KEY CONGRESSIONAL RACES
U.S. House District 16 (Palo Alto / Pacifica)
Evan Low (D) is an openly gay Democratic Assemblymember who has been a vocal supporter on LGBTQ rights and cannabis issues in the state assembly. He sponsored AJR 27 calling on President Trump to leave legal cannabis industry alone and was supportive of cannabis businesses as chair of the Assembly Business and Professions committee.
Santa County Supervisor Joe Simitian (D) voted well on cannabis issues when he was in the legislature a decade ago, including a medical marijuana employment rights bill and another classifying marijuana possession as an infraction. He is endorsed by the retiring incumbent Anna Eshoo.
Sam Liccardo (D) built a reputation as a can-do reformer as mayor of San Jose. During his eight years of tenure, San Jose was on the forefront of California cities that encouraged licensed cannabis businesses.
Rishi Kumar (D) responded to a constituent inquiry saying, “I am for personal choice…people can decide, Legalization makes sense.”
U.S. House District 30 (Pasadena)
In this race to replace Adam Schiff, Asm. Laura Friedman boasts a good voting record on cannabis. Her opponent Mike Feuer spent six years in the Assembly before serving as LA City Attorney from 2013 to 2022. While voting well on most cannabis legislation, he opposed Asm. Ammiano’s 2011 bill to defelonize personal use cultivation. After becoming city attorney, he proposed saliva test DUI checkpoints for drugs, which would have resulted in many wrongful cannabis DUI arrests. Feuer has led the charge in cracking down on LA’s many illegal dispensaries. Also running is CA Senator Anthony Portantino, an old-school moderate Democrat with an OK voting record in the legislature.
U.S. House District 31 (San Gabriel Valley)
Another crowded open-seat race to replace Grace Napolitano features three Democrats with prior legislative experience.
Former Rep. Gil Cisneros served a term in Congress from Orange County in 2019-20 before losing his seat to Republican Young Kim. While there, he cosponsored medicinal cannabis and banking bills, advocated descheduling, and voted to protect state legalization laws. A lottery millionaire and philanthropist, he was appointed Under Secretary of Defense by President Biden and is now running to re-enter Congress.
State senator Bob Archuleta leans toward traditional family values, but compiled a commendable voting record on cannabis and drug issues in the State Senate.
State Senator Susan Rubio, another moderate, has avoided votes on controversial drug issues like employment rights and medical cannabis access in the state legislature.
KEY STATE LEGISLATIVE RACES
State Senate District 3 (Davis/Vacaville)
In this race to fill Bill Dodd’s open seat, candidate Christopher Cabaldon voted against allowing cannabis businesses as mayor of West Sacramento. Running against him is former Rohnert Park mayor Jackie Elward, has labor support and supports cannabis, having worked with Teamsters on the issue. Former Vallejo City Councilmember and manager of Solano County’s Behavorial Health Adult Outpatient Clinics Rozzanna Verder-Aliga is a third Democrat in the race, in which Republicans Thom Bogue, Mayor of Dixon, and Jimih Jones are also running.
State Senate District 5 (Stockton)
Running for this open seat for the seat being vacated by Susan Eggman is Former Rep. Jerry McNerney, less than a year after leaving Congress, where his voting record on marijuana was good. He is running against Assemblymember Carlos Villapudua (D-Stockton), who has a mixed voting record in the state Assembly. (His wife, Edith Villapudua is running for the Assembly District 13 seat Carlos is vacating.) Also running for this Senate Seat is Republican Jim Shoemaker.
State Senate District 7 (Berkeley/Oakland)
Several candidates are running for this seat being vacated by Nancy Skinner.
Dan Kalb, a hard-working Oakland city councilmember, wrote and supported good cannabis regulations in Oakland and is endorsed by the Brownie Mary Democratic Club of Alameda County. He faces Mayor Jesse Arreguin, who sponsored a measure to lower cannabis taxes in Berkeley, serving as a model for other jurisdictions.
Also in the race are left-leaning Richmond city councilmember Jovanka Beckles, who has courted support from the cannabis community but been criticized for divisive behavior on the city council; labor advocate Kathryn Lybarger; and Sandre Swanson, an ex-Assemblyman from Oakland who was hostile to cannabis in the past but came around somewhat when the money came in.
State Assembly District 19 (San Francisco)
In the race to replace Asm. Phil Ting, SF Supervisor Catherine Stefani wants to increase the minimum distance between cannabis retail stores and day care centers from 600 ft. to 1000 ft. Running against Stefani is fellow Democrat David Lee, a community college administrator and part time lecturer at San Francisco State University, where he teaches political science. His has been endorsed by Assemblymembers Ting and Anthony Rendon, plus San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan, and Alameda County Supervisor Lena Tam. Also running are Republicans Nadia Flamenco and Arjun Gustav Sodhani.
Read about all federal and state races at NORML’s Smoke the Vote Guide
LOCAL RACES
Omar Figueroa for Sonoma County Judge
With more than a quarter century of legal experience, Omar Figueroa has defended hundreds of medical cannabis cultivators, patients, and caregivers and made thousands of court appearances throughout California. After attaining his law degree from Stanford Law School, he joined the pro bono legal team, led by legendary trial attorney J. Tony Serra, defending Bear Lincoln, a Native American facing the death penalty in Mendocino County. Omar has also defended dozens of activists accused of nonviolent crimes pro bono, from computer hackers, to forest defenders, to street medics, to animal rights activists, to political protesters. Additionally, he is an experienced civil litigator, having used civil RICO laws in federal court as a member of the legal team that successfully sued Rohnert Park police officers who allegedly robbed cash and cannabis from motorists on Highway 101.
Humboldt County Measure A
Highly contentious Measure A in Humboldt County would cap the number of cannabis cultivation licenses and impose water and other restrictions on farmers. Opponents say it will undo years of public process on current regulations and saddle farmers with more onerous requirements. A group of farmers sued, claiming that proponents are misleading the public into thinking the measure will protect small farmers.
Los Angeles County Democratic Central Committee
In AD 69, the Brownie Mary Democratic Club has endorsed Joseph Luis Piñon, and in AD 52 Paul Neuman and Renee Nahum are endorsed.
California NORML is excited to announce a new partnership with Banking and Merchant Specialist, Ian Rassman. This new collaboration will benefit our business members while generating essential funds for Cal NORML with each tap of your customers’ payment cards.
You’ll enjoy all applicable processing services at extremely competitive rates alongside personalized service from a team that understands the cannabis industry. Cal NORML earns a small commission with each transaction, with no additional charge to you.
This is a fantastic opportunity for all cannabis businesses and ancillary companies, as well as those outside the industry to support cannabis consumers’ rights in California.
Cal NORML receives regular requests to partner with a variety of companies, due to our stellar reputation and vast network. We are pleased to have found a beneficial match with Ian, who you may know through his service as Executive Director of Los Angeles NORML. Ian offers 13 years’ experience in the Banking and Payments Industry and has enjoyed 35 years of involvement with the cannabis culture. You may review his Cal NORML Cannabis Marketplace listing here.
Learn how you can help sustain Cal NORML’s essential advocacy and lobbying efforts in the coming years, while providing a helpful needed service to your customers that will boost your sales.
Please contact kharla@canorml.org or 707-337-9747 for more information and questions.
Founded in 1972, California NORML is a non-profit, membership-supported organization dedicated to protecting and expanding the rights of California’s cannabis consumers. We lobby lawmakers, publish newsletters, sponsor events, and offer legal, educational, and consumer health advice. Current focuses include employment rights and medical marijuana patients’ rights. We are funded solely from donations from within California.
An analysis by the SJ Mercury News found that California has earned more than $5.7 in tax revenue since California legalized recreational cannabis sales in 2017, and the only significant negative result of legalization is an increase in medical emergencies attributed to cannabis.
“It’s possible that people are much more likely to go to the ER (or take their kids in) for cannabis-related issues when they think they won’t be arrested (or lose custody) for doing so, or are less likely to be stigmatized by the medical professionals they encounter,” posits NORML’s Political Director Morgan Fox. “This could very well be responsible for a significant portion of any increases we see post-legalization. Public education in terms of storage, titration, mode of ingestion, and general responsibility goes a long way toward making sure fewer people end up in the ER.” Seniors are one group that have been having adverse reactions, as they are unused to stronger forms of cannabis.
Cal NORML director Dale Gieringer thinks that the increased use of edibles is greatly to blame, noting, “It’s very easy to accidentally consume and/or over dose on them, and they weren’t nearly as widely available before legalization.” Recent news stories confirm this idea.
Cannabis overdoses are not fatal, and generally not very serious; they tend to get overtreated in the hospital, e.g. with intubation (in rare instances with very young children). Those treated in the ER for adverse reactions to cannabis are typically treated with fluids, and sometimes benzodiazepines, prior to being released. “This is hardly a scenario that shares similarities with other toxic poisonings, which can require stomach pumping and may result in organ failure and death,” says NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano. Home remedies for cannabis over dose include having a sugary snack or drink, taking CBD, or holding pepper under the tongue.
Other positive aspects of legalization noted in the article are a decrease in marijuana arrests and past marijuana convictions being expunged, with no significant increase in use by adult Californians or youths in our state.
Every registered voter in California will receive a vote-by-mail ballot for the March 5 primary election. Ballots will be mailed on or before February 5 and can be returned as soon as they are received. Vote-by-mail drop boxes open February 6 and in-person voting will be available in all California counties.
The deadline to register to vote online is February 20th. You can check your voter status online. If you need to register after February 20, you can do so at your county elections office.
In California, you can vote even if on parole, probation, or post-release community supervision. See information about having voting rights restored after serving a state or federal prison term for a felony conviction.
Cal NORML is in the process of updating the NORML Smoke the Vote Guide for the primary election. You can send information about candidates or measures through that portal or here.
Read about all federal and state races, candidates’ voting records, and more at NORML’s Smoke the Vote Guide
Presidential Primary
California has open primaries, meaning all voters can vote for candidates of any party, even for partisan offices. The exception is the Presidential primary, where the Republican, Green and Peace & Freedom parties aren’t allowing cross-over voting by Californians not registered to any party, but the Democratic, American Independent, and Libertarian parties are if a form is filled out and returned to county elections offices or brought to a polling place.
California Senate Race
Three Democratic Congress Members and a Republican ex-baseball player are the top candidates vying for the CA Senate seat vacated when Dianne Feinstein died. Laphonza Butler, who was appointed by Gov. Newsom to fill the seat, is not running for election to the seat. Feinstein’s term was set to expire in January 2025. In the March 5 Primary Election, voters will have the full-term contest on their ballot, and they will also see a separate contest for the remainder of the unexpired term ending in January 2025.
Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) is a longtime friend and champion of the marijuana reform movement. She was a staffer for Rep. Ron Dellums, one of the first Congress members to advocate marijuana reform in the 1970s and continued to support marijuana reform as a state legislator and Congress member during the darkest days of the drug war. A strong racial justice advocate, Rep. Lee denounces cannabis laws for their disproportionate impact on minorities. Lee is a Co-Chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus. She was a leading co-sponsor of the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, the first-ever federal legalization bill to be approved (twice, in 2019 and 2021) by the House of Representatives. At age 77, Rep. Lee is the most senior major candidate in the race, but also the most likely to push cannabis as a high-priority issue in the Senate.
Adam Schiff (D-West LA, Valley), is the frontrunner and top money earner in the race. He is best known for leading the House impeachment investigation of Donald Trump, and has been more reticent on cannabis and criminal justice reform. He has typically voted well on cannabis bills, but has generally held off from co-sponsoring them. One exception is the STATES Act of 2018-9, a Trump-era bill that would have protected the legality of state marijuana laws.
Katie Porter (D-Orange County) is co-chair of the Democratic Progressive Caucus. She takes pride in being the only candidate who never accepts corporate donations. She is particularly interested in economic issues, but has consistently voted well on marijuana bills. She has participated in the Congressional cannabis caucus and co-sponsored the MORE legalization act. Porter is the only single mother in Congress. She was the first Democrat to be elected to represent her district, which covers much of south-central Orange County. She was voted toughest questioner in Congress for her tough questions to corporate executives on wage and banking issues. Porter is fighting to beat out Republican Steve Garvey in the race for second place in the primary, so she can run face-to-face in the runoff against her Democratic colleague Adam Schiff, who is leading the polls.
Ex-baseball star Steve Garvey is fighting to come in second in the primary so as to make the runoff as a Republican in this open primary. A political novice, Garvey has been vague about his views on practically everything. However, he has some experience with cannabis: He is boosting a CBD topical product line known as Level Select. “It keeps me in the game of life at 73,” he told Market Watch. But he has made it clear his products do not contain THC.
KEY STATE LEGISLATIVE RACES
State Senate District 7 (Berkeley/Oakland)
Several candidates are running for this seat being vacated by Nancy Skinner.
Dan Kalb, a hard-working Oakland city councilmember, wrote and supported good cannabis regulations in Oakland and is endorsed by the Brownie Mary Democratic Club of Alameda County.
Also running are Jesse Arreguin, who been a cannabis-friendly mayor for Berkeley; progressive Richmond city councilmember Jovanka Beckles; labor advocate Kathryn Lybarger; and Sandre Swanson, an ex-Assemblyman from Oakland who was notably hostile to cannabis in the past.
Read about all federal and state races at NORML’s Smoke the Vote Guide
LOCAL RACES
Omar Figueroa for Sonoma County Judge
With more than a quarter century of legal experience, Omar Figueroa has defended hundreds of medical cannabis cultivators, patients, and caregivers and made thousands of court appearances throughout California. After attaining his law degree from Stanford Law School, he joined the pro bono legal team, led by legendary trial attorney J. Tony Serra, defending Bear Lincoln, a Native American facing the death penalty in Mendocino County. Omar has also defended dozens of activists accused of nonviolent crimes pro bono, from computer hackers, to forest defenders, to street medics, to animal rights activists, to political protesters. Additionally, he is an experienced civil litigator, having used civil RICO laws in federal court as a member of the legal team that successfully sued Rohnert Park police officers who allegedly robbed cash and cannabis from motorists on Highway 101.
Humboldt County Measure A
Highly contentious Measure A in Humboldt County would cap the number of cannabis cultivation licenses and impose water and other restrictions on farmers. Opponents say it will undo years of public process on current regulations and saddle farmers with more onerous requirements. A group of farmers sued, claiming that proponents are misleading the public into thinking the measure will protect small farmers.
Despite having been one of the first two states to initially legalize the adult use marijuana market, Washington is one of only five legalization states that disallows home cultivation.
The post Washington: House Lawmakers Move to Lift Home Grow Ban, Reject Proposed THC Potency Limits appeared first on NORML.