Epic Mountain View Meeting Leads to Cannabis Ordinance Changes
March 6 - At a six-hour hearing held on March 5 in Mountain View, the city council voted against banning cannabis dispensaries in the city, and directed staff to bring back potential amendments to their ordinance allowing for four cannabis businesses that has already seen 10 Phase 1 applicants for licenses.

San Francisco to Clear Over 9,000 Past Marijuana Convictions
February 25 - San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón announced that his office will move to resentence or expunge more than 9,000 past marijuana-related convictions, following California’s vote for legalization in 2016.

Gov. Newsom to Deploy the National Guard Against Marijuana Grows in California
February 20 - Governor Gavin Newsom plans to reassign 360 of the state’s California National Guard from the US-Mexico border to tackle wildfire preparedness and illicit marijuana grows in Northern California.

Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris Says She Smoked Marijuana, Favors Legalization
February 11 - California Senator and Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris has admitted she smoked pot in her past, and says she is "absolutely in favor of legalizing marijuana."

Poll Shows California Voters Approve of Marijuana Legalization, Don't Want To Punish Pot Offenders
February 7 - In a new poll from Quinnipiac University, California voters say legalizing marijuana has been good for the state, by a margin of 54 - 31 percent.

Cal NORML's 2018 Accomplishments and Plans for 2019
December 1 - As California enters new territory with the opening of adult-use sales this year, Cal NORML continues its fight to secure consumers’ rights to use cannabis freely, legally, and affordably.

California Cannabis Collective Law to Sunset on January 9
December 19, 2018 - A little-noticed looming deadline will make nonprofit collectives and cooperatives dispensing cannabis to medical patients illegal in California starting on January 9, 2019.


Contra Costa Pot Giveaway Celebration and Protest
December 8 - Cannabis advocates handed out free marijuana to grateful recipients on the Contra Costa County Courthouse steps today in protest of the county’s lack of legal, affordable dispensaries.

Cannabis Compassion Program Bill Re-Introduced in California Legislature
November 29 - Joined by co-sponsor Sen. Nancy Skinner (Berkeley), Senator Scott Wiener (San Francisco) announced he will re-introduce his bill to protect cannabis compassion programs in California at a press conference at the SPARC dispensary in SF.

Pro-Cannabis Candidates and Measures Carry Across California
November 7 - Gavin Newsom, a cannabis supporter who pushed for the passage of Prop. 64 to legalize adult recreational use in California, will be the new governor of the state, and other pro-cannabis candidates and measures also prevailed in yesterday's election. The Democrats taking control of the House means cannabis-friendly SF Rep. Nancy Pelosi will again be Speaker.

Local Restrictions on Personal Cannabis Cultivation Struck Down in Court
November 2 - San Bernardino County Superior Court Judge David Cohn has issued a ruling striking down parts of a City of Fontana ordinance placing restrictions on residential marijuana growers in the first court case limiting a local jurisdiction’s ability to regulate personal cultivation rights in California under Proposition 64.

NCIA/CCIA Conference Report: Day One
October 22 - The NCIA/CCIA conference in Anaheim got off to a rousing start when the crowd was reminded that California was still the biggest potential market for the cannabis industry, even now that Canada has become the second country to legalize it.

CA Cannabis Regulations Issued for Final 15-Day Comment Period
October 19 - Regulations for cannabis businesses in California have been issued by the Bureau of Cannabis Control (BCC), the CA Dept of Food of Agriculture (CDFA), and the CA Dept. of Public Health (CDPH). A final 15-day comment period on the proposed regulations has opened.

AG Becerra Announces Campaign Against Marijuana Planting Data for 2018
October 8 - The Campaign Against Marijuana Planting claims to have eradicated 614,267 illegal marijuana plants on public lands in California this year, half the number taken in 2017.

Governor Brown Signs, Vetoes Cannabis Bills for 2018
October 1 - Governor Brown met his deadline of Sunday, Sept. 30 to sign or veto bills from this year's legislative session. He signed a bill to automatically repentance past marijuana convictions, but vetoed one to protect cannabis compassion programs that give away medicine to indigent patients.

Cal NORML Submits Comments to Bureau of Cannabis Control on Pending Regulations
August 27, 2018 - On behalf of its members and cannabis consumers across the state, California NORML has submitted comments to the state Bureau of Cannabis Control (BCC) on their proposed final regulations for cannabis businesses in the state.

ONDCP Grantee Sends Mailer to Fairfax Residents Against Adult-Use Cannabis Sales
September 14 - A Marin County organization funded by the US Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) sent a mailer to every resident in Fairfax, California urging them to come out and oppose the approval of adult-use cannabis sales at a town council meeting last August 15.

Marijuana Resentencing Bill Passes CA Senate, Awaits Governor's Signature
August 22, 2018 - AB 1793 (Bonta), a bill to create a simpler and expedited pathway for Californians to have certain criminal convictions for cannabis-related offenses removed or reduced from their records, has passed the California Senate and is heading to the Governor's desk for his signature.