Connect with us

California Cannabis Laws are Changing

Cannabis laws in
California may soon change—and I’m not talking about the 2016 statewide
measure. Every day in our state Capitol, 120 legislators, thousands of staffers,
and many more consultan

Published

on

C

annabis laws in
California may soon change—and I’m not talking about the 2016 statewide
measure. Every day in our state Capitol, 120 legislators, thousands of staffers,
and many more consultants and lobbyists have conversations and make decisions
that will affect medical cannabis consumers across the state.

Most people in the
cannabis policy reform movement expect a statewide ballot measure next year,
which will finally allow us to join the four other states that have legalized retail
sales of cannabis for adults. Many activists also know that the federal
rescheduling of cannabis, defunding of the DEA, and other federal changes are
being worked on in Washington DC. But I am always shocked to learn that many
activists either do not know or do not care who their elected state assembly member
or senators are, despite the crucial role that our state legislature plays in
influencing the commerce, medicine, public safety, education, transportation,
taxation and economic development that forms the social environment around each
and every one of us.

I’ve said it before
in this column, but it bears repeating: politics matters. It matters to us
patients and consumers of cannabis even more this year as there will be as many
as 10 state bills that will be decided upon by legislators and, if passed,
signed (or not) by Governor Jerry Brown. These bills range from the broad to
the specific, from comprehensively regulating medical cannabis, to regulating
cultivation practices, to regulating e-cigarettes, to regulating manufacturing
of cannabis extracts, to providing greater access to medical cannabis patients.
Our legislative bodies will be considering these issues in the context of bills
brought forward by specific bill authors, who come from the Emerald Triangle,
Los Angeles, the Inland Empire, Santa Cruz, San Francisco, Marin and the East
Bay. These legislators have listened to stakeholders in their districts and in
Sacramento and have crafted solutions for problems that they believe need
addressing. Those stakeholders have not often been patients nor are enthusiasts
of cannabis policy reform, but increasingly our voice and our wishes being
heard in the state Capitol.

After the bills are
introduced, first-up are policy committee hearings, where a small set of fellow
legislators listen to witnesses and debate the particular workings of each
bill. Oftentimes bills are stopped cold at this point, as the light of day
reveals half-baked solutions for problems that may or may not exist. Most
times, however, legislators and witnesses may call for changes to particulars
of the bill. Amendments are then made to the bill as it passes along to the
next committee hearings. Yes, sometimes crafting, tweaking, and passing
legislation can be quite a process, bewildering to outsiders but ultimately
there is logic here, a system that can be understood. It is of course a human
system and subject to the whims of legislators’ egos, the posturing of law
enforcement opposition, and the roles that money and organizations play within
our political system. I believe that the cannabis industry and movement should
neither hate the player nor hate the game, but engage in the state legislative
process through active involvement in organizations and individuals that are
already engaged in the Capitol. Track bills online, stream hearings from the
comfort of your couch, make a few phone calls, or write a few emails. You’ll
learn something for sure, you may be the difference on a particular vote, and
you’ll be glad that you were involved.

 

Sean
Donahoe was founding staff for the California Cannabis Industry Association,
serves on the board of the Coalition for Cannabis Policy Reform, and the City
of Oakland’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission. Learn more about 2016 efforts at
ReformCA.com.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *