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California Senate-Backed Bill Would End ‘Banapalooza’

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The nightmare has been called Banapalooza—the recent rush of banning medical cannabis access, cultivation and collectives in California. No one knows exactly how many, but according to NORML, at least 180 localities have banned or are about to ban cannabis cultivation. Just this week, the California Senate approved a bill that would slow the recent rash of local municipalities from banning cannabis cultivation. The language in California’s new medical cannabis regulations has sent local jurisdictions into a frenzy.

All have interpreted March 1 as the last day they have any say over cannabis restrictions and the result has not been pretty. “Placeholder” bills give local governments a sense of ease, knowing they haven’t allowed statewide cannabis regulation to get out of control. If passed, AB-21 would repeal and correct the mistakes in the Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act (MMRSA).

“It is crucially important the deadline is repealed as soon as possible,” said Assemblyman Jim Wood, D-Healdsburg. “I am confident we will get this done soon.” The situation has clearly gotten out of control.

MMRSA took effect January 1, 2016. Jim Wood, who is one of the bill’s authors, recently issued a letter explaining that there is no rush. “Even if my urgency measure is not signed until after March 1, the Bureau of Medical Marijuana Regulation, the entity responsible for developing the state’s regulations, currently exists on paper only,” Wood wrote. “It will be many months before the bureau has the capacity to develop and enforce statewide regulations.”

Localities have not gotten the message, partly due to the fact that the League of California Cities and the California Association of Police Chiefs told their members to go ahead anyway.

The bill was approved 35-3, and is now headed to the State Assembly. The only Senators that opposed the correction were Senators Jim Nelson R-Gerber, Ted Gaines R-Roseville and Mike Morrell R-Rancho Cucamonga. Many businesses are being severely affected by local governments that have jumped into action by banning cultivation.

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