Last night, the Ukiah Planning Commission unanimously passed an amendment to city code allowing for cannabis consumption at licensed retailers in the city. The amendment is limited in that it would allow for smoking or vaping only at outdoor sites, due to the city’s anti-smoking ordinance. It will allow for edibles or drinks to be consumed indoors.

At the meeting during the staff report, a slide was shown indicating that cities currently allowing on-site consumption include San Francisco, Oakland, Santa Rosa, West Hollywood, Palm Springs, Ojai, Port Hueneme, Coalinga, Lompoc, and National City.…

UPDATE 2/3/2023: A judge has ordered Luke’s compassionate release! He was freed today, The Weldon Project and Mission Green announced. 

Read more. Read the judge’s order. 

Luke posted on Facebook, “Today, after serving nearly 15 years in prison for operating a cannabis dispensary, I was granted my freedom. The feeling is surreal. We’ve worked toward this day for so long. This was a huge victory for my family, friends, community and the entire cannabis movement. I’ll take a moment to enjoy this, but make no mistake, there’s still much work to be done—my people need to be free—and that hard work begins now.”…

Results from Cal NORML’s 2023 Priorities Survey are in!

Thanks to all who took the time to answer the survey and let us know what cannabis reform issues are important to you. Your answers will inform our decisions about where to put our energies on behalf of California’s cannabis consumers’ rights and safety in 2023.

Some key results:

TOP PRIORITIES

• 91% said legalizing at the national level was important, the top answer
• 87% said taxes should be eliminated for medical marijuana patients with an ID card or recommendation
  
• 76% said more affordable access for medical cannabis patients was important; another 17% said it was somewhat important

TAXES

• 73% said lowering taxes on cannabis products was important, with another 20% saying it was somewhat important
• 68% said that lowering the excise tax to 5 or 10% (from 15%) would make them more likely to buy cannabis products from legal outlets.

Budget proposals from the California legislature and Governor spend cannabis tax money, and up enforcement against illegal operations

Last week, the California Assembly and Senate released budget bills for FY2023-24, including several items being funded by taxes paid by California’s cannabis consumers, including:

• $163 million for the Department of Cannabis Control
• $10 million to the CDTFA for the Cannabis Taxes Program
• $3.2 million for the Cannabis Control Appeals Panel

Also included in the identical legislative proposals are:

• $10.7 million to Fish and Wildlife ($5.9 million for biodiversity and $4.8 million for enforcement)
• $10.7 million to Water Resources Control ($7.4 million for water quality and $3.3 million for water rights).

TAKE THE 2023 CAL NORML SURVEY. WE WANT TO HEAR FROM OUR SUPPORTERS ABOUT YOUR PRIORITIES FOR NEXT YEAR.

PLEASE SUPPORT CAL NORML IN 2023

Now is the time to build on the progress we made in 2022. Please support Cal NORML with a membership donation. Click Here to Donate or see our Cal NORML store and become a member.

New cannabis laws protecting California cannabis users’ medical rights, parental rights and more took effect on January 1, 2023.

California NORML is committed to the implementation of these reforms, and would like to hear from anyone with questions about their rights under the new laws, or who is continuing to experience discrimination against cannabis consumers that is now illegal in California.…