Cal NORML 2023 Accomplishments and Plans for 2024

PLEASE SUPPORT CAL NORML IN 2024
Now is the time to build on the progress we made in 2023! Please support Cal NORML with a membership donation. Click Here to Donate or see our Cal NORML store and purchase merchandise.
Giving Tuesday / End of Year Special: Get a Free Gift with Your Cal NORML membership through 12/31/23.

LEGISLATIVE GAINS
Once again this year, Cal NORML and its supporters actively lobbied on 40-50 bills affecting California cannabis consumers and the industry. We generated over 3500 letters from supporters to lawmakers though our Action Alert network, and scheduled 200 constituent meetings with lawmakers at our annual Lobby Day in May (pictured).
Among bills signed into law are:
SB 700 (Bradford) strengthens the employment rights bill Cal NORML sponsored last year to add, “It is unlawful for an employer to request information from an applicant for employment relating to the applicant’s prior use of cannabis.”
SB 302 (Stern) extends Ryan’s Law, which requires specified health-care facilities to allow terminally ill patients to use nonsmoked (or vaped) forms of cannabis. SB 302 will now protect all patients 65 and over with chronic diseases.
SB 51 (Bradford) allows the Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) to continue issuing provisional licenses to local equity applicants for retailer activities, indefinitely, if the applicant meets specified requirements. Without the bill, many equity applicants would have lost their provisional permits, which were set to expire this year. The Governor signed the bill while calling for greater support for equity businesses, something Cal NORML supports.
SB 540 (Laird) directs the DCC and CA Dept. of Public Health to develop a one-page educational brochure to instruct consumers on the safe use of cannabis. The bill was backed by the industry and Cal NORML as an alternative to stricter labeling requirements or potency limits in order to address growing public concern over an increase in emergency room visits due to cannabis overdoses from edibles and high-potency products. At Cal NORML’s urging, the bill was amended to require that dispensaries offer all first-time customers the printed brochure.

GOOD AND BAD RESULTS
We were disappointed that SB 512, a bill by Senator Bradford (D-LA) that sought to end double taxation on cannabis at the state and local levels, delivering much-needed relief to what is currently an unfairly overtaxed industry, did not advance this year in the legislature. Cal NORML supporters sent in nearly 1000 letters in support of the bill and we testified in its favor. We will continue to work for tax fairness for cannabis from a consumers’ perspective in 2024. Read more.
Cannabis advocates were pleasantly surprised by Gov. Newsom’s veto of a controversial labeling bill by Asm. Jacqui Irwin, AB 1207, ostensibly aimed at ensuring cannabis products aren’t attractive to children. As originally filed, AB 1207 proposed several new, overreaching restrictions: requiring individual packaging of edible servings, prohibiting food coloring in edibles and flavorings in inhaled concentrates, and banning images of real or fictitious human beings, fruits and vegetables in packaging or advertising. Newsom’s veto statement echoed the same concerns that Cal NORML raised about the bill.
In a more disappointing move, the Governor also vetoed AB 374 (Haney) to allow preparing and selling non-cannabis-infused food, nonalcoholic beverages, and tickets for live performances at licensed cannabis consumption lounges. At present, lounges can serve only prepackaged snacks. Cal NORML supported this bill to expand the opportunities for social consumption and attract canna-tourist revenue, and released a white paper addressing concerns raised by anti-tobacco forces opposed to the bill, who complained that it would expose lounge workers to unacceptable health hazards. On that basis, Gov. Newsom vetoed the bill, but invited Asm. Haney to re-introduce it next year. Cal NORML will continue to work towards its passage by responding with sound science to exaggerated public health claims about the dangers of cannabis smoke.
ENFORCEMENT BILLS IMPROVED
Cal NORML worked to mitigate the impact of new enforcement bills aimed at cracking down on the illicit market so as to not unduly harm personal-use growers and minor offenders. It is generally better to lower barriers to licensure and lessen taxes and regulation rather than spend endless dollars in enforcement, which has never worked well in all the decades of cannabis prohibition.
READ MORE ABOUT BILLS THAT CAL NORML WORKED ON IN 2023.
CONSUMPTION SPACES

In an effort to encourage more localities to allow for cannabis consumption spaces, Cal NORML compiled a list of cannabis consumption lounges in California to share with our members and supporters.

Under California state law, cannabis retailers can open on-site cannabis consumption spaces, with local approval. Some are moving forward (see list below) while others, like Los Angeles and Berkeley, have resisted consumption rooms altogether, as anti-tobacco forces have falsely conflate cannabis smoke with tobacco and show up at local meetings to fight off our rights. Help us make cannabis consumption allowed across California!

EMPLOYMENT RIGHTS AWARENESS CAMPAIGN
California workers will be protected from employment discrimination for off-the-job use of marijuana under a new law sponsored by Cal NORML—Government Code 12954—taking effect January 1, 2024. Enacted last year under bill AB 2188 by Asm. Bill Quirk, the new law bans employers from firing or refusing to hire workers based on drug tests that detect inactive cannabis metabolites—in particular, urine and hair tests, which can detect marijuana residues days or weeks after last use and have no relation to on-the-job impairment.
Complaints about illegal discrimination for off-the-job marijuana use are to be handled by the California Civil Rights Department. Cal NORML has met with the CRD, and has posted information about complaint resolution and securing a “right to sue” once administrative remedies are exhausted.
Cal NORML has been reaching out to unions, businesses and human rights groups to help raise awareness of workers’ rights under AB 2188 and SB 700. We have developed flyers and Fact Sheets for Employers and Employees in both English and Spanish about the new laws. Read more.

MEDICAL MARIJUANA PATIENTS’ PROTECTIONS
Another bill from last year that Cal NORML supported, SB 1186 by Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), preempts local bans on medicinal cannabis delivery, expanding patients’ access to legal, regulated cannabis products. This law will also take effect on 1/1/2024. Local jurisdictions that ban all cannabis delivery are in the process of changing their ordinances to comply with the new state law, with some confusion about what it requires. Cal NORML Legal Committee member Lauren Mendelsohn will be giving a presentation about SB 1186 at the Cal NORML Legal Seminar on January 20, 2024.
We are also working to raise awareness about a 2022 Cal NORML-sponsored bill, AB 1954 (Quirk), which is now law and protects the right of patients to medical treatment if they use marijuana, and the right of physicians and clinics to treat them. Many physicians are under the mistaken impression that they can’t prescribe medication to patients who test positive for cannabis. In California, many health plans, health systems, and hospitals require patients to sign agreements not to use illicit or controlled substances for the duration of their prescribed opioid treatment and agree to drug testing.
AB 1954 specifies that a positive drug test for cannabis should not in itself be the sole basis for denying medical treatment to a patient absent a medically significant reason. It became law on January 1, 2023. Read more.
Cal NORML has also been watchdogging implementation of these bills:
• AB 1706 by Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D-Oakland), ensuring that Californians with old cannabis-related convictions will finally have those convictions sealed. DOJ reports that while 212,344 of eligible past cannabis convictions have been cleared by county courts, 8% of cases eligible for resentencing—numbering 15,306—still have not been cleared at the local level, as was required by July 1. DOJ says it will continue to work towards compliance at the county level. Read more.
• AB 2595 by Asm. Reggie Jones-Sawyer (Los Angeles) to require the State Department of Social Services to treat a parent’s use of cannabis in the same manner as alcohol or legally prescribed medication. As of this writing, DHS still has not issued instructions to case workers, as required by the law. We will continue to press for this to happen and hope to support further legislation in this area next year.

CAL NORML’S PRIORITIES FOR 2024
• Advocate for lowering cannabis taxes in California, especially for medical users.
• Inform workers and employers about their rights under AB 2188 to off-the-job use of cannnabis.
• Support opening more cannabis consumption lounges and allow them to serve food and beverages.
• Advocate for extending SB 34, allowing compassionate donations of medical cannabis.
• Support better consumer education on cannabis dosage and high-potency products.
• Support more accurate / improved product testing and labeling.
• Support parental rights for cannabis users, and end drug testing of newborns and their mothers.
• Oppose policies that would unduly limit consumer choice or restrict personal use and cultivation.
• Lobby Congress for federal descheduling, the SAFER banking act, and other reforms.

PLEASE SUPPORT CAL NORML IN 2024
Now is the time to build on the progress we made in 2023! Please support Cal NORML with a membership donation. Click Here to Donate or see our Cal NORML store and purchase merchandise.
Giving Tuesday / End of Year Special: Get a Free Gift with Your Cal NORML membership through 12/31/23.

Conozca sus derechos laborales como un consumidor de canabis en California

A partir del 1 de enero de 2024, la mayoría de los californianos estarán protegidos por un proyecto de ley patrocinado por Cal NORML que establece que los empleadores no pueden negarse a contratar, despedir o penalizar a un empleado basándose en los resultados de análisis de marihuana en cabello u orina. Los empleados no pueden verse afectados por el canabis en el trabajo y pueden estar sujetos a un hisopo oral o un análisis de sangre. Los empleados federales y aquellos en el sector de la construcción no están protegidos.
Descargue esta información como hoja informativa
Descargue una hoja informativa para empleadores
Descargue un folleto sobre derechos laborales
Leer antecedentes sobre la ley
Una nueva ley (AB 2188 – GC 12954) prohibirá que los empleadores discriminen contra la contratación o el despido de una persona que haya dado positivo en la prueba de metabolitos de canabis no psicoactivos en la orina, el cabello o los fluidos corporales. También permite a los empleados que han sufrido discriminación por dar positivo en metabolitos de canabis no psicoactivos iniciar acciones civiles por daños y otras compensaciones contra sus empleadores.
La ley no interfiere con el derecho de los empleadores a mantener un lugar de trabajo libre de drogas. Permite otros tipos de pruebas que pueden indicar un deterioro real en el trabajo, como pruebas de rendimiento basadas en computadora y pruebas químicas de THC activo en el fluido oral, el aliento o la sangre que son un mejor indicador del uso reciente. Muchos de los principales proveedores de pruebas de drogas ofrecen pruebas de hisopo oral o alcoholímetro, que son menos invasivas que las pruebas de orina o cabello.
No están protegidos por la ley los trabajadores del sector de la construcción y los empleados sujetos a normas federales de pruebas de drogas, como los conductores de camiones comerciales.
Las empresas que aceptan subvenciones o financiación federal suelen estar obligadas a seguir la ley de lugar de trabajo libre de drogas, pero esto no exige pruebas de detección de drogas, sólo prohíbe el consumo de drogas en el trabajo.
El gobierno federal ha aprobado el hisopo oral para reemplazar las pruebas de orina para camioneros y otros trabajadores federales, pero aún no ha aprobado ningún laboratorio para procesar pruebas de hisopos orales.
¿QUÉ HAY DE MAL CON LAS PRUEBAS DE METABOLITOS?
Las pruebas de metabolitos no detectan un deterioro real, sino más bien la presencia de residuos de canabis no psicoactivos que permanecen en el sistema días y semanas después del uso, mucho después de que los efectos hayan desaparecido.
Numerosos estudios han encontrado que los trabajadores que dan positivo en metabolitos no tienen un mayor riesgo de sufrir accidentes laborales. Dependiendo de su sensibilidad, los análisis de sangre y de líquido oral detectan la presencia de THC sólo durante unas horas, o posiblemente hasta un día.
Probar o amenazar con analizar fluidos corporales para detectar metabolitos de canabis ha sido la forma más común en que los empleadores acosan y discriminan a los empleados que consumen canabis legalmente en la privacidad de sus propios hogares.
NUEVOS DESARROLLOS
Un proyecto de ley de 2023, SB 700 (Bradford), enmendó AB 2188 (GC 12954 ) para prohibir a los empleadores preguntar sobre el uso anterior de marihuana. La SB 700 fue promulgada por el gobernador Newsom el 7 de octubre de 2023 y entrará en vigor el 1 de enero de 2024, junto con la AB 2188.
La ley establece que “es ilegal que un empleador solicite información a un solicitante de empleo relacionada con el uso previo de canabis por parte del solicitante.” Hay excepciones en la ley para los empleadores que pueden preguntar sobre el historial de condenas de un solicitante según la información contenida en GC 12952 u otra ley estatal o federal.”
CÓMO EJERCER TUS DERECHOS
Aquellos que han sido discriminados debido al consumo de canabis fuera del trabajo, ya sea a través de exámenes previos al empleo, o por haber sido disciplinados o despedidos como empleado, puede presentar una queja ante el Departamento de Derechos Civiles de CA y también debe comunicarse con Cal NORML para presentar una queja y posiblemente conectarse con un abogado privado que podría ayudarlo a presentar una reclamación.
La AB 2188 fue aprobada con el apoyo de una fuerte coalición de defensores de los trabajadores, la industria y los derechos humanos. Agradecemos a estos socios por ayudar a difundir información sobre los derechos de los trabajadores en California.
California NORML
Organización Nacional para la Reforma de las Leyes de Marihuana
Luchando por los derechos de los consumidores de canabis de California desde 1972
www.CaNORML.org
415-563-5858

Know Your Employment Rights As A Cannabis Consumer in California

Starting on January 1, 2024, most Californians will be protected by a Cal NORML-sponsored bill which states that employers may not refuse to hire, fire, or penalize an employee based on the results of hair or urine tests for marijuana. Employees may not be impaired by cannabis on the job, and may be subject to an oral swab or blood test. Federal employees and those in the construction trades are not protected.
Download this information as a Fact Sheet
Download a Fact Sheet for Employers
Download a flyer about employment rights
Read background on the law
 
A new law (AB 2188 – GC 12954) will prohibit employers from discriminating against hiring, or terminating, a person who has tested positive for non-psychoactive cannabis metabolites in their urine, hair, or bodily fluids. It allows employees who have experienced discrimination to institute civil action for damages and other relief against their employers.
The law does not interfere with employers’ right to maintain a drug-free workplace. It allows for other kinds of tests that can indicate actual impairment on the job, such as computer-based performance tests, and chemical tests for active THC in oral fluid, breath or blood that are a better indicator of recent use. Many major drug testing providers are offering urine tests that do not detect marijuana, and oral swab or breathalyzer tests, which are less invasive than urine or hair tests.
Not protected by the law are workers in the building and construction trades, and employees subject to federal drug-testing rules, like commercial truck drivers. Companies that accept federal grants or funding are often required to follow the Drug-Free Workplace Act, but this does not require drug testing, only disallowing drug use on the job. The federal government has approved oral-swab testing to replace urine testing for truck drivers and other federal workers, but has not yet approved any labs to process oral swab tests.
WHAT’S WRONG WITH METABOLITE TESTING
Metabolite tests don’t detect actual impairment, but rather the presence of non-psychoactive cannabis residues that stay in the system days and weeks after use, long after effects have faded. Numerous studies have found that workers who test positive for metabolites have no higher risk of workplace accidents.
Testing or threatening to test bodily fluids for cannabis metabolites has been the most common way that employers harass and discriminate against employees who lawfully use cannabis in the privacy of their own homes. Studies have shown that black people are over twice as likely as white people to be reprimanded or fired for failing drug tests.
Depending on their sensitivity, oral fluid and blood tests detect the presence of THC for only a few hours, or possibly up to one day, while still not detecting impairment.
FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS
A 2023 bill, SB 700 (Bradford), amended GC 12954 to  disallow employers from asking about past marijuana use. SB 700 was signed into law by Governor Newsom on October 7, 2023 and will take effect on January 1, 2024, along with AB 2188.
The law states, “it is unlawful for an employer to request information from an applicant for employment relating to the applicant’s prior use of cannabis.” There are exceptions in the law for employers who may ask about an applicant’s conviction history under  information under GC  12952, or other state or federal law.”
HOW TO EXERCISE YOUR RIGHTS
Those who have been discriminated against due to off-the-job cannabis use, whether via pre-employment screening, or being disciplined or fired as an employee, should complain to their union representative, and can file a complaint with the CA Civil Rights Department. Contact Cal NORML to make a complaint and possibly be connected with a private attorney who could help file a claim, once administrative remedies have been exhausted and a right to sue has been established with the CRD.
Support Cal NORML’s Advocacy! 

Medical Marijuana Patients’ Rights in California

Download a Fact Sheet with this information. 
A law that took effect on January 1, 2023 (AB 1954 – BPC 2228.5) prohibits physicians and health plans to have policies denying medical treatment to qualified patients with a recommendation to use medical marijuana. The only exception is if a clinical determination is made on a case-by-case basis that a “medically significant” contraindication exists.
The law states, “A physician and surgeon shall not automatically deny treatment or medication to a qualified patient based solely on a positive drug screen for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or report of medical cannabis use without first completing a case-by-case evaluation of the patient that includes, but is not limited to, a determination that the qualified patient’s use of medical cannabis is medically significant* to the treatment or medication.” It further states, “The use of medical cannabis that has been recommended by a licensed physician and surgeon shall not constitute the use of an illicit substance in the evaluation described.”
See background on the bill.
PHYSICIAN PROTECTIONS
Physicians are protected by the clause in the new law saying, “No physician and surgeon shall be punished, or denied any right or privilege, for having administered treatment or medication to a qualified patient within the requirements of this section and consistent with the standard of care.” A similar exemption exists for physicians in Prop. 215, the Compassionate Care Act (HSC 11362.5) by which California voters legalized the use of medical marijuana in 2016.
Except for a single case where doctors were financially involved in a cannabis dispensary operation, the DEA has never taken action against doctors who recommend or allow the use of medical cannabis by their patients. In 2003, the US Supreme Court let stand a 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that doctors have the right to recommend medical marijuana to their patients (Conant v. Walters, 309 F.3d 629 (9th Cir. 2002).
There is no law requiring pain clinics or doctors to screen out marijuana users. Medical marijuana patients are being caught up in a push to drug test in order to ensure compliance with prescription opiates. Many practitioners wrongly assume that they are obliged to screen out marijuana users as well.
*The “medically significant” exemption in AB 1954 means that a physician and surgeon must make a clinical determination that the treatment or medication “is contraindicated or is likely, or expected, to cause an adverse reaction or physical or mental harm to the qualified patient if administered or used in conjunction with THC or medical cannabis, based on the known clinical characteristics of the patient and the known characteristics and history of the patient’s treatment or medication regimen.” It can also mean the treatment or medication is expected to be ineffective, could worsen a comorbid condition, could decrease the capacity to maintain a reasonable functional ability in performing daily activities, or could pose a significant barrier to adherence to, or compliance with, the qualified patient’s drug regimen or plan of care.
 
STUDIES AND POLICIES ON MEDICAL CANNABIS FOR PAIN
A great many studies have found that cannabis access is associated with reduced rates of opioid use and abuse, opioid-related hospitalizations, opioid-related traffic fatalities, opioid-related drug treatment admissions, and opioid-related overdose deaths. Knowledgeable specialists therefore regard medical marijuana as an exit, rather than a gateway, to narcotic abuse.
The California Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research, established by the state legislature at University of California in 2000 to conduct controlled scientific studies of medical marijuana, has reported positive results in human clinical trials regarding chronic pain, in particular neuropathic pain.
In 2017, the National Academy of Science released a major report on cannabis, which concluded that chronic pain is one of the few conditions for which there is “conclusive or substantial evidence” for cannabis’s effectiveness.
In 2019 the California Medical Association House of Delegates voted to adopt a recommendation stating, “That CMA oppose policies of health plans, health systems, and hospitals that have pain management programs that automatically eliminate patients who use therapeutic cannabis.”
The US Veteran’s Administration policy is not to deny treatment to patients who are participating in state medical marijuana programs.
 
WHAT SHOULD PATIENTS AND DOCTORS DO?
Doctors and health plans need to review their policies to be sure they are complying with state law. They can get training from the Society of Cannabis Clinicians on proper use and dosage of cannabis medicines.
Patients who have experienced discrimination by their doctors because they use cannabis are advised to file a complaint with the CA Medical Board. See a sample letter to the Medical Board. They should also contact Cal NORML to file a complaint and possibly take legal action.
 
OTHER LEGAL PROTECTIONS FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA PATIENTS IN CALIFORNIA
• “Ryan’s Law,” (HSC 1649 – 1649.6) passed in 2021, requires hospitals and certain health care facilities to permit the use of nonsmoked cannabis by patients with terminally ill diseases. SB 302 (Stern), a 2023 bill, expands these protections to seniors 65 and over with chronic medical conditions. Also see: Americans for Safe Access Patient’s Guide to Ryan’s Law
• Prop. 64, the Adult Use of Marijuana Act or AUMA, which California voters passed in 2016, protects the parental rights of medical marijuana patients under HSC 11362.84, which states, “The status and conduct of a qualified patient who acts in accordance with the Compassionate Use Act shall not, by itself, be used to restrict or abridge custodial or parental rights to minor children in any action or proceeding under the jurisdiction of family or juvenile court.” In addition, AB 2595 (Jones-Sawyer, 2022) requires the State Department of Social Services to treat a parent’s use of cannabis in the same manner as alcohol or legally prescribed medication under WIC 328.2. 
• SB 1186 (Wiener – 2022) will require cities and counties to permit deliveries of medical cannabis in their jurisdiction starting on January 1, 2024. Local governments have begun to amend their ordinances to comply with the new law. Also see: How California Senate Bill 1186 Will Expand Medical Delivery Statewide.
• AB 258 (Levine, 2015) outlaws discrimination against medical marijuana patients who need organ transplants under HSC 7151.36.
• AB 2188 (Quirk, 2022) outlaws employment discrimination due to testing for inactive THC metabolites in urine or hair by most California employers. Employees may not be impaired on the job, and may be subject to an oral swab or blood test.  SB 700 (Bradford, 2023) bans questions about past marijuana use by most employers in California. Read more.
Medical marijuana patients are often unable to find places where they can safely use their medicine. Cal NORML is working to open more cannabis consumption lounges in California. Read more.
Support Cal NORML’s advocacy efforts!

Cannabis Consumers’ Employment Rights Won in California

Starting on January 1, 2024, most Californians will be protected by a Cal NORML-sponsored bill (AB 2188 – GC 12954) which states that employers may not refuse to hire, fire, or penalize an employee based on the results of hair or urine tests for marijuana. Employees may not be impaired by cannabis on the job, and may be subject to an oral swab or blood test. Federal employees and those in the construction trades are not protected.
The new law will prohibit employers from discriminating against hiring, or terminating, a person who has tested positive for non-psychoactive cannabis metabolites in their urine, hair, or bodily fluids. It also allows employees who have experienced discrimination on the basis of testing positive for non-psychoactive cannabis metabolites, to institute civil action for damages and other relief against their employers.
The law does not interfere with employers’ right to maintain a drug-free workplace. It allows for other kinds of tests that can indicate actual impairment on the job, such as computer-based performance tests, and chemical tests for active THC in oral fluid or blood that are a better indicator of recent use. Not protected by the law are workers in the construction trades, and employees subject to federal drug-testing rules, like commercial truck drivers.
Companies (e.g. hospitals) that accept federal grants or funding are often required to follow the Drug-Free Workplace Act, but this does not require drug testing, only disallowing drug use on the job. The federal government has approved oral swab testing to replace urine testing for truck drivers and other federal workers, but has not yet approved any labs to process oral swab tests. Many major-drug testing companies are offering oral swab tests, which are less invasive than urine or hair tests.
Metabolite tests don’t detect actual impairment, but rather the presence of non-psychoactive cannabis residues that stay in the system days and weeks after use, long after effects have faded. Numerous studies have found that workers who test positive for metabolites have no higher risk of workplace accidents. Depending on their sensitivity, oral fluid and blood tests detect the presence of THC for only a few hours, or possibly up to one day. While they still don’t prove impairment, by detecting cannabis use within a more narrow window, they are a more reasonable and useful alternative to metabolite testing.
Testing or threatening to test bodily fluids for cannabis metabolites has been the most common way that employers harass and discriminate against employees who lawfully use cannabis in the privacy of their own homes. Studies have shown that black people are over twice as likely as white people to be reprimanded or fired for failing drug tests.
Those who have been discriminated against due to off-the-job cannabis use, whether via pre-employment screening, or being disciplined or fired as an employee, can complain to the CA Civil Rights Department, and should also contact Cal NORML to make a complaint and possibly be connected with a private attorney who could help file a claim.
A pending bill, SB 700 (Bradford), would also disallow employers from asking about past marijuana use. Tell Your Assemblymember to Support SB 700. 
 
DOWNLOAD A FLYER ABOUT CANNABIS CONSUMERS’ EMPLOYMENT RIGHTS IN CALIFORNIA
ALSO SEE:
9/18/2022 – Gov. Newsom Signs Bill to Protect Employment Rights of Cannabis Consumers, Other Reform Measures
9/1/2022 – California Legislature Passes Bill to Protect Rights of Workers Who Use Cannabis Off the Job
11/9/2021 – Oakland Public Safety Committee Votes to Prohibit Cannabis Metabolites Testing of City Employees
10/12/21 – LA COUNCILMEMBER RAMAN INTRODUCES RESOLUTION SUPPORTING EMPLOYMENT RIGHTS FOR CANNABIS USERS
7/6/2021 – Oakland City Council and SF Board of Supervisors Approve Resolutions to Support Employment Rights for Cannabis Users

6/15/2021 – The California State Personnel Board (SPB) ruled that the California Department of Transportation must reinstate an employee who failed a urine test for marijuana use, because such a test does not establish that an employee is under the influence of marijuana when reporting for duty. This ruling should protect most state workers against employment discrimination due to drug testing. Read more.
BACKGROUND
California’s Supreme Court ruled in 2008 that Prop. 215 does not grant workers’ rights, and a law passed to change that in 2008 was vetoed by Gov. Schwarzenegger. Cal NORML testified at a hearing on cannabis and employment rights in the CA Senate Labor Committee on November 9, 2019.
Until California’s law protecting employees who use cannabis off the job takes effect on 1/1/2024, California workers living with pain are currently forced to use more dangerous drugs like opiates, rather than medical cannabis. Many of these are front-line, essential workers like grocery store clerks that put themselves at risk for COVID infection daily, yet are unable to use their medicine or recreational relaxant of choice off the job. Over 30 studies have shown that legalizing marijuana can decrease opioid use, abuse, and/or overdose deaths.
A Cal NORML survey found that 24% of respondents have increased their use of opioid or other medications due to drug testing by their employer or doctor, 23% have been denied employment because of marijuana use, and 9.5% have been terminated from a job because of a drug test.
Employment drug testing has been shown in federal studies not to improve worker safety, but it’s a great way to discriminate against cannabis consumers.

OTHER STATES
See: State and City Laws Protecting Marijuana Users’ Employment Rights
Eight states, Washington, Nevada, New York, New Jersey,  Connecticut, Montana, Rhode Island, and California have passed laws protecting employment rights of recreational marijuana users. In addition, the cities of  Atlanta, New York City, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Baltimore MD, Rochester NY, Richmond VA, Isle, MN, Kansas City, MO and St. Louis, MO have enacted ordinances protecting employment rights of marijuana users, either for city employees or for all workers in their cities.
Laws in twenty states: Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut*, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana*, Nevada*, New Jersey*, New Mexico, New York*, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island,* South Dakota, Virginia and West Virginia specifically prohibit employers from discriminating against workers on the basis of their use of medical marijuana. Louisiana and Utah protect the employment rights of public employees who use medical marijuana. Washington, DC and Puerto Rico also protect the employment rights of medical marijuana patients. In addition, Massachusetts and Vermont protect medical marijuana patients’ employment rights under their disability laws, and the Supreme Court of New Hampshire has ruled that the state’s disability and accommodation law can cover medical marijuana patients on a case-by-case basis. *Also protect recreational users’ rights.
 
COURT RULINGS / FEDERAL BILLS
The rights of Massachusetts medical patients were recently upheld in court in 2017, as were those of patients in Rhode Island and Connecticut. Read more. 
Other court decisions that have upheld employee rights:
2022: New Hampshire – Paine v. Ride-Away, Inc. – Employers must accommodate qualified patients enrolled in the state’s medical cannabis access program by exempting them from certain drug testing mandates
New Jersey – Wild v. Carriage Funeral Holdings LLC – Employers may not discriminate against patients who consume medical cannabis while away from the job
2019: Pennsylvania – Palmiter v. Commonwealth Health Systems – A former employee can sue their former employer for discrimination if they are let go for the lawful use of cannabis
2019: New Jersey: Wild v. Carriage Funeral Holdings LLC – Employers may not discriminate against patients who consume medical cannabis while away from the job. The NJ Supreme Court upheld the ruling. 
2019: Arizona: Whitmire v. Walmart Stores Incorporated – An employee may not be terminated solely for testing positive for carboxy-THC
A pending bill in Congress, The Fairness in Federal Drug Testing Under State Laws Act, would protect the employment rights of federal employees in states with legal marijuana.
 
Join the Campaign! We will need your help to implement California’s new law
You can also support our efforts by joining Cal NORML.

Also see:
NORML Factsheet: Marijuana Legalization and Impact on the Workplace
Cannabis in the Workplace Comparative Law Review – a state-by-state analysis by Wilson Elser
An informative program from KALW radio on the topic
California Chamber of Commerce: Marijuana and Workplace Policies
Marijuana and the workplace
 
MORE NEWS:
Join the Employment Rights for Cannabis Consumers Facebook Group for updates.
5/10/2023 – Washington Becomes Latest State to Ban Pre-Employment Tests for Cannabis
2/15/22: Cal NORML-sponsored Legislation Would Protect Employees’ Right to Use Cannabis Off the Job
Labor shortage accelerates shift away from drug testing for new hires 7/2021
FBI Loosens Marijuana Employment Policy For Would-Be Agents 7/21
GM’s Policy on Cannabis Use Partly to Blame for Worker Shortage: UAW  7/21
Track Star Sha’Carri Richardson Banned from Olympic Race Over Marijuana Test 7/21
Amazon ditched cannabis testing, and more employers will likely follow 6/21
NFL’s new CBA will eliminate suspensions for positive marijuana tests, limit the testing period to the first two weeks of training camp and raise the threshold for a positive test from 35 to 150 nanograms of THC. 3/20
Kevin Durant: Time to End NBA Ban on Marijuana 2/20
Survey: Employers’ Attitudes Shifting Regarding Drug Testing for Cannabis 2/20
MLB removing marijuana from list of banned substances 12/19
When the Law Says Using Marijuana is OK, But the Boss Disagrees 7/19
This New York Times story also ran in the SF Chronicle. It interviews three California women who lost job opportunities due to their marijuana use, despite legalization.
Federal Court Rules In Favor Of Worker Rejected For Medical Marijuana Use 9/18
A Connecticut woman’s rights under that state’s medical marijuana law were violated when a company refused to hire her on the basis of her legal cannabis use, and a lawsuit seeking damages against her would-be employer may proceed, a federal judge ruled. In 2016, Katelin Noffsinger filed suit against Bride Brook Health and Rehabilitation Center, a federal contractor, after a job offer was rescinded following a positive test for cannabis on a pre-employment drug test. Noffsinger had accepted a management-level position with the firm, which then scheduled a drug test. Prior to the test, Noffsinger informed Bride Brook that she was a qualified cannabis patient under Connecticut’s Palliative Use of Marijuana Act, and used the drug—namely, synthetic marijuana pills, consumed in the evening—to treat post-traumatic stress disorder following a 2012 car crash.
Bill To Protect Medical Marijuana Patients from Employment Discrimination Introduced in California 2/18
A Growing Trend In Favor of Medical Marijuana Users in the Employment Context 10/17
Employers and advocates look for answers as more workers failing drug tests in Northern California 10/17
More Colorado businesses dropping pot from pre-employment drug tests
Study: Workplace Absences Decline Following Passage Of Medical Cannabis Laws
Study: Medical Marijuana Laws Associated With Greater Workforce Participation Among Older Americans
Drug testing: Tech firms adopt ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ stance on cannabis use
Hiring Hurdle: Finding Workers Who Can Pass a Drug Test
Marijuana may be legal, but it can still get you fired
Marijuana reform is a work in progress despite Prop. 64 victory
Legal Marijuana Poses New Problems For Employee Drug Testing WSJ 11/22/16
California employers question drug testing policies in face of Proposition 64 Nor Cal Record
Marijuana, now legal in California, can still stop workers from getting a job LA Times
Sword of Damocles: Pot Partisans Fear Trump’s DOJ
Drug Tests Don’t Make Sense, So Why Are Employers Still Using Them?
NORML’s Model Workplace Policy for Cannabis
It’s Time For Employers To Rethink Marijuana, Drug-Testing Policies

The post Cannabis Consumers’ Employment Rights Won in California appeared first on CaNorml.org.

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.

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.

CMEs Approved for Medical Cannabis Conference on Sept. 2 at UCLA

Continuing Medical Education credits for California physicians up to 6.75 hours have been approved for the first-ever joint medical conference from the Society of Cannabis Clinicians and The ReLeaf Institute, to be held at UCLA’s Neuroscience Research Building (NRB), 635 Charles E. Young Drive South in Los Angeles on Saturday, September 2.
The conference curriculum is aimed at physicians as well as medical students, nurses, caregivers, the cannabis industry and the general public, with a sliding ticket scale for different classes of attendees. Attendees can join in person, or virtually. Sponsorship packages are also available.
Speakers include MDs with expertise in treating patients with cannabis medicines for a variety of ailments, and some of the “novel” cannabinoids just now being studied. Afternoon sessions will address political issues, with presentations and a roundtable discussion featuring representatives from the California Department of Cannabis Control, the California Medical Board, and the LA County Department of Cannabis Regulations, speaking on the Importance of Social Equity in the Licensed Cannabis Market.
After the presentations, a networking & sponsorship booth exhibition will be held, followed by a happy hour at the SLS Hotel hosted by MedinaCBD.
Read More and Purchase Tickets for the Conference

Conference Agenda
9:00 am
Genester Wilson-King, MD: Cannabis and Endometriosis: It Should be a Treatment Option Now
10:00 am
Patricia Frye, MD: Exploring the Potential Benefits of Cannabis in Autism Spectrum Disorders
11:00 am
Bonni Goldstein, MD: Clinical Effects of Two Important Cannabinoids: CBDV and CBG
12:00 pm
Tim Fong, MD: 2023 Updates to Management of Cannabis Use Disorder
—- 12:30 PM BREAK for LUNCH —-
Box lunch will be provided.
1:15 pm
Sherry Yafai, MD: Dementia and Palliative Care: Where and how can Cannabis be used?
2:15 pm
California Department of Cannabis Control
2:45 pm
Reji Varghese, MBC, Interim Executive Director at Medical Board of California
3:15 pm
Dr. Imani Brown, LA County Department of Cannabis Regulations: The Importance of Social Equity in the Licensed Cannabis Market
3:45 pm
Roundtable discussion: Department of Cannabis Control, Medical Board of California, LA County Department of Cannabis Regulations
—- 15 Minute Break —-
4:30 pm
SCC Closing Remarks – Stephen Robinson, MD, MPH
5:00 pm close
Networking & Sponsorship Booth Exhibition
6:00 – 8:00 pm
Happy Hour at SLS Hotel hosted by MedinaCBD
No cannabis products allowed on site that include flower, vaporizers, etc. All products that will be displayed must be previously approved. UCLA is a non-smoking campus.
 
Purchase Tickets for the Conference

FACULTY
Dr. Imani Brown is an urban policy and planning professional with more than 25 years’ experience in the areas of public policy, sustainable urban land use, government relations, and small business development. She currently is the Social Equity Program Director for the Department of Cannabis Regulation for the City of Los Angeles. Her programs’ focus is Business, Licensing, Compliance and Technical Assistance, Grants, Pro Bono & Low Bono Legal Services and equity centered policy reform. Dr. Brown was formerly the Executive Director of External Partnerships of Government & Civic Engagement at USC, where she assisted in developing the Community Benefits Agreement for University Village, a multi-billion dollar economic development project. She served as Chief Deputy of Small Business, Transportation and Housing for the late Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald of the 37th Congressional District, where she created small business incubators and opportunities for communities impacted by the Alameda Corridor Project. Dr. Brown is an alumna of the University of Maryland and Cornell University. She earned her doctorate degree in 2009 from the University of Southern California, Sol Price School of Public Policy.
Dr. Timothy W. Fong is a Professor of Psychiatry at the Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA. He is board certified in adult and addiction psychiatry. He is the co-director of the UCLA Gambling Studies Program and also a member of the Steering Committee of the UCLA Center for Cannabis and Cannabinoids, whose mission is to address the most pressing questions related to the impact of cannabis legalization through rigorous scientific study and discourse across disciplines. He is the Director of the UCLA Addiction Psychiatry Consultation Service and an attending physician in the UCLA Addiction Psychiatry Clinic.
Patricia Frye M.D. began her journey with medicinal cannabis as the first evaluating physician for a cannabis telemedicine platform, HelloMD, and went on to become professionally certified in Cannabis Science and Medicine by the University of Vermont School of Medicine. During her many years at Kaiser Permanente in Southern California her practice focused on children and teens with autistic spectrum disorder, learning and developmental disabilities, school problems, and behavior issues. She has served as a volunteer for several organizations which include the St. Mary’s AIDS Care Team, Phoenix House, an in-patient drug rehabilitation program for adolescents, Head Start Committee on Health, and Piedmont CASA where she served as an advocate for children in the family court system due to abuse or neglect. Dr. Frye serves on the Cannabis Trade Federation Task Force on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and the board of the Society of Cannabis Clinicians. In 2018 she authored the book “The Medical Marijuana Guide: Cannabis and Your Health.”
Bonni Goldstein, MD is the Medical Director of Canna-Centers Wellness & Education, a California-based medical practice devoted to educating patients about the use of cannabis for serious and chronic medical conditions. She completed her internship and residency at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, where she also served as chief resident. After years of working in the specialty of Pediatric Emergency medicine, she developed an interest in the science of medical cannabis after witnessing its beneficial effects in an ill friend. Over the last 15 years she has evaluated thousands of patients for use of medical cannabis and is recognized as an expert in the clinical application of cannabis therapeutics. She has a special interest in treating children with intractable epilepsy, autism, cancer and other conditions. Her latest book, “Cannabis is Medicine: How Medical Cannabis and CBD are Healing Everything from Anxiety to Chronic Pain” was published in September 2020 by Little, Brown Spark. Dr. Goldstein is currently researching the use of Cannabis-Responsive biomarkers to document objective cannabis treatment efficacy, guide clinical decision-making and improve outcomes.
Dr. Stephen S. Robinson grew up in Newark, NJ and graduated from Reed College in Portland, Oregon and the University of Washington Medical School in Seattle. Dr. Robinson completed his MPH at Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health. His interest in both public health and global health became a lifelong commitment after his first visit to Cuba in the early ’70s. He completed his residency in internal medicine at Harlem Hospital Center and later served as a medical team leader to Ghana and Liberia with Operation Crossroads Africa. After working as Medical Director with Georgia’s Primary Care Assn., he worked in Tanzania, setting up an exchange program between the Institute for Medical Research in Tanzania and the Public Health Sciences Institute at Morehouse College. While there, he also worked with Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health evaluating health facilities for their readiness to provide HIV/AIDS care and treatment. Since his move to Oakland, California in 2010, Dr. Robinson has been evaluating patients for their use of medical cannabis. He participated on panels at numerous cannabis-related conferences and delivered presentations on cannabis’ medicinal benefits and dosing strategies to both professional and lay audiences. Dr. Robinson contributed to the revision of the Medical Board of California’s “Guidelines for the Recommendation of Cannabis for Medical Purposes.” He has been a board member of the Society for Cannabis Clinicians, and currently serves as president of the organization.
Dilara K. Üsküp, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in Internal Medicine at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Sciences and an Investigator in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Üsküp is a joint doctoral graduate of the University of Chicago’s Department of Political Science and the Divinity School. She was the first in the University’s history to be awarded both a Ph.D. in political science and a Ph.D. in theology from the Divinity School. She completed her NIH/NIMH training at the UCLA Center for HIV Identification, Prevention, and Treatment Services. Her resaerch investigates the ways religious and political institutions, attitudes, and ideology interacts and shape health behavior to inform public policy. She is also an ordained minister. Her burgeoning research portfolio includes the areas of politics and theology, HIV prevention, cannabis and social equity, and health policy. She collaborates and consultants with faith-based and faith-placed cannabis organizations that are engaged in social justice work around incarceration/citizen reentry, employment/job creation, economic development, health equity, and cannabis social equity. She is co-principal investigator of CaliCANN, a demographic analysis of the state of California cannabis market.
Dr. Genester Wilson-King, MD, is a Board-Certified obstetrician and gynecologist and Fellow of the American College of OB/Gyn with over 25 years of clinical experience providing compassionate, individualized, and research-driven care to patients throughout Florida. After years of working as a full service OB/GYN in established institutions such as Lawnwood Regional Medical Center and Florida Hospital Waterman, she founded Victory Rejuvenation Center (VRC), a private holistic and preventive medicine. Dr. Wilson-King has spent quality time on cultivation farms, in processing facilities, labs, and in dispensaries across the country and in Israel. She is Co-VP of the Society of Cannabis Clinicians and co-authored the Best Practices Guidelines for Cannabis Use in Pregnancy and Breastfeeding. She is also on the Board of the Doctors For Cannabis Regulation (DCFR), a Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists, and a Diplomate of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. She completed her internship and residency at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and has degrees from Swarthmore College and Thomas Jefferson Medical College.
Sherry Yafai MD is a Cannabis Specialist and Board-Certified Emergency Medicine physician since 2009. She started her medical career at UCSD Medical School and completed her training at UCSD Emergency Medicine Residency in 2009. After recreational marijuana laws had passed in California in 2017, Dr. Yafai felt compelled to open a private Cannabis Clinic, the ReLeaf Institute, to counsel patients interested in cannabis for wellness and disease related treatment. She is the past Co-Vice President and current Secretary of the Society of Cannabis Clinicians (SCC), a distinguished speaker for UCSD Center for Medical Cannabis Research, Pacific Neuroscience Institute, and multiple other medical programs. Dr. Yafai writes a column for Emergency Medicine News, “The Case for Cannabis” and encourages discussions on the pros and cons of cannabis in the field of medicine.
Purchase Tickets for the Sept. 2 Medical Cannabis Conference at UCLA

BACKGROUND
Under CA state law (the Compassionate Use Act, passed as Prop. 215 in 1996), all MDs and DOs can recommend or approve medical cannabis for their patients, however surveys of physicians have found that few have done so, and that knowledge and competence in this area are low. A recent study concluded that “discussions on cannabis primarily focus on risks (63%) rather than dosage (6%) and harm reduction (25%).”
Cannabinoid medicines and the endocannabinoid system they activate throughout the human body (not just in the brain) are rarely covered in medical school curriculums, leaving physicians with little knowledge about how their patients’ use of cannabis does or could impact their health, what products or dosages might work for them, or what interactions with other medications they may expect.
A new state law in California outlaws denying medical care such as prescribing pain or other prescriptions solely based on a patient’s positive test for THC, one of the active ingredients in cannabis, yet pain specialists continue to test for THC. The California Medical Board has just issued guidelines to physicians that fail to mention the new law, while minimizing the great many studies that have found patients using cannabis for pain can often lessen their use of opioids.
State law also outlaws discrimination against medical cannabis patients requiring organ transplants, and requires hospitals and certain other health-care facilities to permit the use of non-inhaled cannabis medicines by terminally ill patents. A pending law would expand that protection to seniors with chronic health conditions.
Although it is often said that not enough studies have been conducted on cannabis, in fact tens of thousands of studies can be found in any PubMed search, and in publications like NORML’s Emerging Clinical Applications for Cannabis and the Cannabinoids booklet.
Purchase Tickets for the Sept. 2 Medical Cannabis Conference at UCLA
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Amplify Your Voice in Sacramento and DC!

Cannabis Laws Don’t Change Themselves…
…but with your help, we can and will enact the policy reforms needed for the cannabis industry to flourish and for its consumers to be treated fairly and with dignity under the law.
The National Cannabis Industry Association, the voice of Main Street Cannabis, and California NORML, the voice of the California cannabis consumer have teamed up to provide California cannabis operators a platform to support the state and federal lobbying necessary for the industry to prosper.

We invite you to join our efforts and amplify your voice by becoming a member of Cal NORML and NCIA through our new unified membership plan offered at the discounted annual rate of $1,200.
Your dual membership will support the work Cal NORML is doing in the state to defend cannabis businesses and support consumers, while also providing a much-needed investment in the national lobbying work NCIA is doing to end the harmful effects of federal prohibition on the cannabis industry.

JOIN NOW
Not sure about joining just yet? Set up a call with someone on our team to learn about the benefits of supporting both these organizations.

California NORML has been advocating, educating, and lobbying on behalf of the cannabis consumer for 50 years and counting. Our recent legislative successes include winning Pain Patients’ Rights and Employment Rights for California consumers.
Cal NORML is the only statewide advocate for all California cannabis consumers. By protecting and expanding the rights of the consumer, our essential work positively impacts the entire cannabis industry. There are over 30 cannabis-related bills this year we are focusing on that will affect you and your business.
Join us to amplify the voice of the cannabis consumer in Sacramento! Cal NORML business members are featured in the Cannabis Marketplace directories on CaNORML.org, and are also invited to join our site with a guest blog post, among other promotional benefits.
Founded in 2010, the National Cannabis Industry Association is the most trusted and most effective national trade association in the cannabis space. NCIA is the only voice for small and independent cannabis businesses in our nation’s halls of power and has made incredible strides advancing congressional support for issues such as 280E reform, banking access, and federal de-scheduling over the last several years. As a show of appreciation for their support for Main Street Cannabis, NCIA members receive a host of networking, educational, and marketing benefits to help them succeed in the competitive cannabis marketplace.
We hope you’ll invest in the future of cannabis as well as your own success by joining the growing list of businesses that have already signed up with NCIA and Cal NORML. If you’d like to learn more about how you can help advance good cannabis policy with us, feel free to reach out any time.
Sincerely,
Kharla Vezzetti, California NORML
Aaron Smith, NCIA
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