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A California lawmaker is putting her own bill to legalize marijuana dispensary drive-thru windows<\/a> on hold for now, she tells Marijuana Moment.<\/p>\n The legislation from Assemblymember Gail Pellerin (D) had passed the full Assembly this session and advanced through a Senate committee, but the sponsor said she wasn\u2019t sure it had enough support to get through the full chamber and onto the governor\u2019s desk this year.<\/p>\n \u201cCalifornia cannabis retailers lack a common and accessible transaction path for consumers afforded by so many other retailers in California, including fast food, pharmacies, banks, to-go alcohol sales at restaurants and a limited number of liquor stores,\u201d Pellerin told Marijuana Moment. \u201cCannabis consumers who have mobility issues or other disabilities have limited options for being able to obtain cannabis without having to step out of their vehicles.\u201d<\/p>\n The measure says that licensed cannabis retailers and microbusinesses with storefronts could sell marijuana products \u201cto a customer in a motor vehicle in a drive-through located on the premises.\u201d<\/p>\n Under AB 2697, cannabis businesses would need approval from the local jurisdictions in which they operate in order to add the drive-thru option.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile home delivery is legal, there are service area restrictions,\u201d Pellerin told Marijuana Moment. \u201cI authored AB 2697 because it retained local authority while enhancing the consumer experience, increasing safety at cannabis retailers and helping expand California\u2019s legal cannabis marketplace.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe had great momentum with AB 2697, but unfortunately we were not confident we had the votes and decided it was best to put the bill on hold and continue the work and engagement at a later time,\u201d the lawmaker said.<\/p>\n The California Narcotic Officers\u2019 Association opposed the proposal, however, with a representative testifying this session that it would be harder for dispensary workers to check customers\u2019 IDs for age compliance or to detect signs of current intoxication at drive-thru windows.<\/p>\n \u201cThis bill prioritizes speed of sale over public safety, while undermining current safeguards designed to prevent illegal sales and protect public safety,\u201d he argued.<\/p>\n Under a current policy enacted during the height of the COVID pandemic, dispensaries can already offer curbside pickup.<\/p>\n The bill<\/a> would mandate that drive-thru sales \u201cshall occur through a fixed-pane security window with a security drawer or similar secure transfer mechanism that is part of a building located within the premises.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2014 Meanwhile, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) this week signed separate legislation to more clearly define the types of marijuana packaging and labeling that is prohibited<\/a> due to appealing to children.<\/p>\n In June, the California Department of Cannabis Control rolled out a new AI tool to help businesses identify marijuana product packaging may appeal to kids<\/a>\u00a0in violation of existing state rules, which already ban cartoons on cannabis labels.<\/p>\n California\u2019s treasurer recently said the\u00a0marijuana legalization law that voters approved a decade ago has been a \u201ccomplete failure\u201d<\/a>\u00a0and should be replaced with a new ballot initiative that prioritizes consumers and small businesses.<\/p>\n The vice chair of the state Senate Budget Committee has floated the idea of\u00a0putting a new initiative on the state ballot to \u201creverse\u201d Proposition 64<\/a>, for example, arguing that voters were misled and voicing concerns about the health impacts of marijuana use.<\/p>\n Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton, who is endorsed by President Donald Trump, recently told Marijuana Moment that\u00a0taxes and regulations on cannabis are \u201ctoo high.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n DCC recently released\u00a0data showing how 97 percent of state cannabis enforcement actions<\/a>\u00a0in unincorporated cities have happened in counties that have locally banned licensed growers from operating.<\/p>\n California regulators also recently adopted emergency rules changes for the state\u2019s marijuana licensing process that are intended to\u00a0make it easier for businesses to qualify for benefits<\/a>\u00a0in line with the Trump administration\u2019s recent move to federally reschedule medical cannabis.<\/p>\n Newsom recently\u00a0took credit for helping to lead the push for the state to legalize marijuana<\/a>\u00a0and discussed his own limited experience with using cannabis.<\/p>\n Last October, however, Newsom vetoed a bill that would have\u00a0allowed certain marijuana microbusinesses to ship medical cannabis products directly to patients<\/a>\u00a0via common carriers like FedEx and UPS, stating that the proposal \u201cwould be burdensome and overly complex to administer.\u201d<\/p>\n Newsom did sign a bill earlier that month aimed at\u00a0streamlining research on marijuana and psychedelics<\/a>.<\/p>\n Last September, the governor also signed a measure into law to\u00a0put a pause on a recently enacted tax hike on marijuana products<\/a>.<\/p>\n Separately, the state attorney general says\u00a0Indian tribes cannot independently engage in marijuana commerce<\/a>\u00a0with licensed cannabis businesses without first obtaining their own commercial license from state officials.<\/p>\n California officials recently awarded\u00a0nearly $30 million in grants for marijuana-focused academic research projects<\/a>.<\/p>\n The post California Bill To Legalize Marijuana Dispensary Drive-Thru Windows Is Put On Hold By Its Sponsor<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
A California lawmaker is putting her own bill to legalize marijuana dispensary drive-thru windows on hold for now, she tells Marijuana Moment. The legislation from Assemblymember Gail Pellerin (D) had passed the full Assembly this session and advanced through a Senate committee, but the sponsor said she wasn\u2019t sure itContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":459,"featured_media":86784,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86783"}],"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\/459"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86783"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86783\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86785,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86783\/revisions\/86785"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/86784"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86783"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86783"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86783"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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\nRead More: California Bill To Legalize Marijuana Dispensary Drive-Thru Windows Is Put On Hold By Its Sponsor<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"