During the 2023 legislative session, over 20 cannabis-related bills went to Governor Newsom’s desk. Read below for highlights on the bills supported by Americans for Safe Access:
Passed
SB 302 (Stern) – Compassionate Access to Medical Cannabis Act. Extends Ryan’s Law to all chronically ill patients over the age of 65, requiring specified healthcare facilities to allow the use of non-inhalable forms of cannabis.
SB 700 (Bradford) – Employment discrimination: cannabis use. Forbids inquiries by prospective employers relating to applicants’ cannabis use. The new law will take effect on January 1st, 2024.
SB 51 (Bradford) – Cannabis provisional licenses: local equity applicants. Allows the Department of Cannabis Control to issue provisional licenses for local equity applicants for retailer activities indefinitely if the applicant meets specified requirements.
Vetoed
AB 374 (Haney) — Cannabis: retail preparation, sale, and consumption of noncannabis food and beverage products. This bill would have allowed the sale of prepackaged, noncannabis-infused, nonalcoholic food and beverages at cannabis consumption lounges if permitted by their jurisdiction.
See here for a comprehensive list, created by California NORML, of cannabis bills that were passed, vetoed, or made into two-year bills.
