{"id":77771,"date":"2024-09-11T05:26:11","date_gmt":"2024-09-11T13:26:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2024\/09\/11\/california-lawmakers-and-advocates-urge-governor-to-sign-bills-to-allow-marijuana-sales-at-state-run-farmers-markets-and-legalize-cannabis-cafes\/"},"modified":"2024-09-11T19:46:20","modified_gmt":"2024-09-12T03:46:20","slug":"california-lawmakers-and-advocates-urge-governor-to-sign-bills-to-allow-marijuana-sales-at-state-run-farmers-markets-and-legalize-cannabis-cafes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2024\/09\/11\/california-lawmakers-and-advocates-urge-governor-to-sign-bills-to-allow-marijuana-sales-at-state-run-farmers-markets-and-legalize-cannabis-cafes\/","title":{"rendered":"California Lawmakers And Advocates Urge Governor To Sign Bills To Allow Marijuana Sales At State-Run Farmers Markets And Legalize Cannabis Cafes"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

Lawmakers, advocates and industry stakeholders are imploring California\u2019s governor to sign a pair of bills that would\u00a0allow small marijuana growers to sell their products directly to consumers<\/a>\u00a0at state-organized farmers markets and\u00a0legalize cannabis cafes in the state<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Shortly after both proposals advanced through the legislature, supporters have stepped up their push to get it across the finish line with Gov. Gavin Newsom\u2019s (D) signature. While the governor supports cannabis legalization, however, he\u2019s been notably reserved about various drug policy proposals in recent years.<\/p>\n

Assemblymember Matt Haney (D), sponsor of the marijuana cafe bill, held a press conference last week where he made the case for the reform, noting that there are \u201ccannabis lounges that exist all over the state,\u201d but currently \u201cthey\u2019re being prohibited\u2014in an arbitrary, misguided way\u2014from being able to serve any food or non-alcoholic beverages.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe governor recently said that the future happens here first. He was talking about California. Well, this is the future,\u201d the lawmaker said. \u201cThis is the future when it comes to adult-use cannabis. It\u2019s the future when it comes to supporting our cannabis small businesses and their ability to thrive. It\u2019s the future when it comes to California\u2019s tourism.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Newsom vetoed a prior version of Haney\u2019s bill, saying that while he appreciated that the intent was to \u201cprovide cannabis retailers with increased business opportunities and an avenue to attract new customers,\u201d he felt \u201cconcerned this bill could undermine California\u2019s long-standing smoke-free workplace protections<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

To that end, the measure as passed contains changes to create separation between public consumption spaces and back rooms of businesses where food is prepared or stored in order to better protection the health of workers in line with the governor\u2019s concerns.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a legal product in our state, and has wide support from Californians,\u201d Haney said last week. \u201cSo why are we treating it as something that should be shunned, something that is shut down, something that people cannot do in the company of others?\u201d<\/p>\n

The lawmaker also addressed a recent statement from the American Cancer Society (ACS)<\/a>, which urged the governor to veto his legislation out of concern about the potential health implications of smoke exposure.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re worried about secondhand smoke, shouldn\u2019t we give people safe places to go\u2014to consume with others who have made that choice?\u201d Haney said. \u201cRight now, because of the limits on where people can smoke legally, many people may be forced to smoke at home, around their kids, or in a car or on the street where others are walking by.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re worried about secondhand smoke, support us in giving people safe places to go where there are protections and where people have made that choice,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the Origins Council and several other cannabis trade associations sent a letter to Newsom late last month, encouraging him to sign the separate legislation from Assemblymember Gail Pellerin (D) that would authorize regulators to issue \u201ca state temporary event license to a licensee authorizing onsite cannabis sales to, and consumption by, persons 21 years of age or older at certain venues expressly approved by a local jurisdiction, as specified.\u201d<\/p>\n

Applicants wishing to obtain the state temporary events license would also need to meet the definition of a small marijuana producer. That means they could not be cultivating more than one acre of cannabis, 22,000 square feet under a mixed-light tier 1 cultivation license or 5,000 square feet under a mixed-light tier 2 or indoor cultivation license.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnder existing California law, small cannabis farmers are only authorized to conduct direct sales at events if they hold a full-time license as a cannabis retailer,\u201d the letter<\/a> to Newsom says. \u201cThis current requirement is not just unnecessary: it also puts direct sales practically out of reach for most small and especially rural cultivators, who generally lack the financial resources and commercial zoning to support a full-time retail operation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs small producers face dire market conditions and limited market access opportunities, AB 1111 is the only policy currently on the Governor\u2019s desk that specifically takes steps to address the challenges facing California\u2019s craft cannabis cultivators and legacy producing regions. With small producers struggling, consumers and patients losing access to high-quality craft products, and potential federal legalization looming on the horizon, AB 1111 is a critical and timely opportunity for California to reassert our leadership as a global center for world-renowned cannabis.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, advocates hosted a webinar to highlight the bill\u2019s importance to consumers and farmers.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a consumer myself, I go into your average retailer, and usually everything\u2019s already packaged on a wall somewhere, and I can\u2019t smell it\u2026. I can\u2019t really usually find out anything about where it was grown or how it was grown or if organic practices were used, if it was outdoor, anything like that,\u201d Ellen Komp, deputy director of California NORML, said at the event. \u201cAnd just like when I buy my produce, I like to know all of those things, and I like to meet my farmer. And it\u2019s very hard to do that in the cannabis space, much harder to do that really than maybe when it was illegal.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The legislation would expand upon a California law\u00a0that was enacted in 2018, allowing regulators to issue temporary marijuana event licenses in jurisdictions where the local government permits it.<\/p>\n

It was that policy change that\u00a0allowed marijuana sales and on-site consumption at the California State Fair<\/a>\u00a0for the first time this year. Under that policy, approved retailers could market their cannabis, whereas this latest legislation would extend that to small cultivators that received the necessary license.<\/p>\n

The calls for the governor\u2019s support for both comes as Newsom is attempting to rein in the proliferation of products that contain intoxicating hemp-derived cannabinoids with new emergency regulations to outlaw hemp products<\/a> with any \u201cdetectable amount of total THC.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Beer Association, which represents American brewers, recently applauded the governor\u2019s action<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Separately in California, lawmakers this month gave final approval to a bill to prevent what advocates call the \u201cdouble taxation\u201d of marijuana by restricting the ability of local governments to calculate their cannabis levies after state taxes are already applied<\/a>. The legislation\u2019s sponsor says if the proposal is signed into law it will end what he calls the \u201ccollection of a tax on a tax.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Florida Marijuana Legalization Ballot Initiative Has Enough Support To Pass, New Poll Finds As Trump Backs Reform<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Photo courtesy of Martin Alonso<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

The post California Lawmakers And Advocates Urge Governor To Sign Bills To Allow Marijuana Sales At State-Run Farmers Markets And Legalize Cannabis Cafes<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n


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Lawmakers, advocates and industry stakeholders are imploring California\u2019s governor to sign a pair of bills that would\u00a0allow small marijuana growers to sell their products directly to consumers\u00a0at state-organized farmers markets and\u00a0legalize cannabis cafes in the state. Shortly after both proposals advanced through the legislature, supporters have stepped up their pushContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81,126],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77771"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=77771"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77771\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":77772,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77771\/revisions\/77772"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77771"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77771"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77771"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}