California Cannabis News – April 2022

Legislature

Legislation Moving Forward on Prohibiting Employers from Discriminating Against Off the Job Cannabis Use

Employer drug testing for controlled substances, including marijuana, is mandatory for many businesses, especially in safety-sensitive industries. The directives often include pre-employment drug screens and random testing to ensure safety in the workplace. The testing protocol targets any controlled substance, including cocaine, heroin, and other drugs. However, cannabis is typically the culprit that pops hot during screening.

The effects of cannabis typically only linger for a short time, depending on usage, but ridding the body of cannabinoid molecules can take up to three or four weeks. This prolonged activity is because the chemical compounds found in cannabis tend to hang out in fatty tissues in the human body. Typically, employers target THC usage, but folks using medical marijuana for therapeutic relief find themselves in a quandary when required to take a drug test for their job.

This dilemma presents the question of whether an employee's off-the-job activities influence their performance at work. Recent legislation proposed to California's Assembly Committee on Labor and Employment will change how employers test for cannabis. Assemblyman Quirk presented Assembly Bill 2188 to the committee regarding discrimination in employment due to cannabis use.

Coincidently, the hearing date scheduled for April 20, 2022, addressed the subject. According to the proposal, under the Fair Housing and Employment Act (FEHA), the bill prohibits an employer from discriminating against someone who tests positive for cannabis in certain circumstances.

The proposed law states that because current testing cannot prove that a person is high on the job, it is discriminatory to terminate an employee based on a positive test result. Furthermore, the bill affirms that an employer cannot fire a person if the presence of non-psychoactive cannabis metabolites shows up on a drug screen.

However, the proposal acknowledges that specific safety-sensitive industries such as building and construction trades are exempt from the law. In addition, it recognizes that employer's under state and federal law must still abide by the testing protocol in providing a drug and alcohol-free workplace under the Control, Regulate, and Tax Adult Use of Marijuana Act (AUMA).

The bill isn't a green light for allowing cannabis use in the workplace; however, it does address the need for improved testing methods. Unfortunately, technology has yet to catch up on instant impairment analysis like roadside alcohol breathalyzer testing. But undoubtedly, bright minds are working on developing such systems.

Hopefully, this bill will acknowledge the need to advance cannabis testing requirements in the workplace.

California Lawmakers Legalize Cannabis for Pets

Research into the effects of cannabis on animals is far more extensive than trials performed on people. With legalization stonewalling human testing for decades, scientists turned to animals to perform many queries into how cannabis impacts mammalian bodies. Their findings revealed a beneficial therapeutic treatment for many ailments in our four-legged friends.

While CBD products became famously popular for use in pets in the last few years, California legislators passed a bill on April 19, 2022, legalizing the use of cannabis for our furry companions. Members of the Assembly Business Professions Committee unanimously approved AB 1885 by a 19-0 vote.

With the abundance of cannabis pet products available on store shelves or online markets, it is hard for many pet owners to decipher which one is the right choice for their best friend. Many brands offer different dosing requirements based on breed, weight, and particular ailments. This measure promotes safe and reliable recommendations from state-licensed veterinarians to prescribe cannabis-derived pet products. 

The bill's passage also requires the California State Veterinary Medical Board to implement standards for the industry to follow. Their input will help regulate the saturated market by prescribing tested therapeutic cannabis products providing peace of mind to pet owners.

Medicinal Cannabis Patients Right of Access Act Passes Senate Committee

California was the pioneer in medical marijuana legalization after voters approved Proposition 215 in 1996. The law allowed the sales of cannabis to medical patients statewide. 

However, when the passage of Proposition 64 legalizing the recreational adult use of marijuana in 2016 passed, many cities and counties within the state chose not to allow pot sales in their jurisdictions. This banning also included medical dispensaries from continuing their business ventures. Unfortunately, many medical marijuana patients were left with either traveling to legal shops, often many miles away, or obtaining their medicine from the illicit market. 

A bill, SB-1186, introduced by Senator Wiener earlier this year, passed a significant hurdle last week with its' approval from the Senate Governance and Finance Committee. The Medicinal Cannabis Patient's Right of Access Act requires cities to allow deliveries of medical marijuana to patients living within their municipalities. 

The bill sponsored by the California Cannabis Industry Associations and backed by the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) still must pass the Senate Appropriations Committee, but progress is heading in the right direction. Unfortunately, it won't go into effect until January 2024.

California State Senate Confirm Nicole Elliott as Director of the Department of Cannabis Control

As a young woman working her way up in the legal cannabis sector of California's government, Elliot has been an influential advocate for cannabis reform since 2017. Better known as the cannabis czar, Elliot held the position of Director of San Francisco's Office of Cannabis until 2019.

Respecting her positive contributions to the government's early years of cannabis legalization, Governor Newsom appointed her as his Senior Advisor of Cannabis from 2019 to 2021. In July of 2021, the governor established a Cannabis division of the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development and gave the reins to Elliot.

As the Director of the Department of Cannabis Control, Elliott is working with local governments, business leaders, and organizations to spearhead some of the issues surrounding cannabis policy. In her short interim, Elliot's work includes grant availability for social equity programs and assisting cannabis businesses to shift from initial provisional licensing to establishing permanent annual licenses.

Elliott and her team developed the CannaConnect platform to help businesses stay in compliance in the ever-changing industry. In addition, her team is working to simplify cannabis reform by addressing regulation consolidation. Given the current state of California's cannabis industry, Elliott has a lot to address in the coming months.

She was officially confirmed as the Director of the Department of Cannabis Control by the California State Senate on April 7, 2022.

Convention News

CannaPack Conference & Exhibition

Cannabis producers flocked to the Anaheim Convention Center on April 22-24 for the CannaPack Conference and Exhibition. As part of Westpack's Expo and backed by the California Cannabis Industry Association, the event showcased some of the latest cannabis products for packaging solutions.

Formerly known as the Cannabis Packaging Summit, this year's show was center stage on the main showroom floor. With over fifty exhibitors displaying innovative products directed to the bustling cannabis industry, attendees browsed through a myriad of colorful packaging and label designs. 

Keynote speakers, including Lori Raymond, founder of Tourmaline Enterprises, MJBiz's CEO Chris Walsh, and many other company leaders, offered their take on emerging packaging trends in the cannabis market. Touted as the most prominent cannabis packaging conference in North America, the free event drew over 1500 visitors.

Cannabis Science Conference West

Organizers of the Cannabis Science Conference West announced this year's event is scheduled from May 18 – 20, 2022, at the Long Beach Convention Center. The conference, hosted by MJH Life Sciences®, is one of the fastest-growing cannabis science events in the world. 

In its' seventh year, the conference brings cannabis industry experts, instrument manufacturers, testing labs, and research scientists to discuss innovations occurring in the evolving markets. Focused on various subjects, including analytical science, cultivation, and extraction advancements, speakers will address how science and technology work together within the industry.

In addition, a network of medical practitioners will speak on advancements in hemp-derived CBD treatments and how psychedelic medicine is changing people's lives. As strong advocates for the cannabis industry, Montel Williams and Eben Britton are scheduled to present and will undoubtedly steal the show.

For more information, visit cannabisscienceconference.com.

Entertainment

The Emerald Cup Awards Ceremony

Honoring the prestigious California cannabis community, organizers announced the annual Emerald Cup Award Ceremony would be held at the famous Ricardo Montalbán Theatre in Hollywood, California, on Saturday, May 14, 2022.

Originating in the famed Emerald Triangle of Northern California's Mendocino, Trinity, and Humbolt counties in 2003, the legendary award ceremony is expanding to southern Cali to embrace the cannabis industry statewide. While the origins of the Emerald Cup recognized grower's efforts in the north long before legalization, the state's cannabis community has drastically changed in the last eighteen years.

The move invites all of California's cannabis growers the opportunity to shine the light on the whole state's evolving industry. The event is an invite-only for judges, contestants, and sponsors; however, coverage of the ceremony will be programmed by ALTRD.TV. 

Northern Nights Music Festival

Tickets are now on sale for the 2022 Northern Nights Music Festival held at the Cook's Valley Campground, located on the border of Mendocino and Humbolt counties. The three-day festival is scheduled for July 15 -17 and promises to be an eclectic experience with a line-up that includes Claude Vonstroke, David Starfire, and Elderbrook, to name a few.

This popular festival began in 2016 when the Northern Nights Tree Lounge was the first publicly attended event that permitted the consumption of medical marijuana. In 2019, the festival expanded its' notoriety to a three-day show allowing the use of recreational marijuana use for anyone over 21 and adding overnight camping.

Nestled along the Eel River in the heart of towering redwood trees, the festival offers a star-studded show of top performers, art and fashion vendors, yoga classes, educational booths...and lots of marijuana. Check out northernnights.org for more information on this jam-packed 420-friendly event.

Speaking of 420 – How Cali Celebrated the Famous Day in 2022

After the pandemic shut down 420 celebrations in 2020 and 2021 events were limited, this year's festivities drew crowds all over the Golden State of California. From its origins in the Bay area to the metropolitan regions in the south, cannabis enthusiasts continued to show their support for the sacred holiday in 2022 as smoke filled the air across the state.

The smoke-filled haze was especially thick over Robin Williams Meadow and Hippie Hill in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. With the roots of 420 established in the 1970s by a group of San Rafael High School students, the historic day drew thousands of cannabis-loving revelers to the sacred event.  

Top performers Shortkut, Goapele, comedians Jeff Ross, and Hannibal Buress kept the atmosphere charged while the guest of honor, Mike Tyson, hit the stage to entertain the crowd. The event included cannabis vendors showcasing their elite products and folks lined up at food trucks to curb the munchies.

Further south, smoke filled the air as students at UC Santa Cruz celebrated the day at Porter Meadow with a mellow gathering. While law enforcement was present, most of the kids just hung out in the park, sharing camaraderie and passing joints.

Down in Los Angeles, the Glass House Fest, held at the famed Wisdome LA park in the heart of the Art District, showcased a celebration marked with music, comedy, art, and culture. Featured music performers including Reggie Watts, Duckwrth, Guapdad 4000, and Blackillac lit up the stage well into the night as the event schedule went from 4:20 pm – 11:00 pm. Stand-up comedians Trevor Wallace & Friends, Simon Gibson, and Skyler Stone kept the crowd roaring as they paid tribute to the 420 celebrations.

All over the state, dispensaries were aglow with sales skyrocketing for a week before the famed day. Many shops offered daily specials leading up to deep discounts on 420, keeping store owners hopping for days. In particular, the town of Weed, in Northern California, saw hundreds of out-of-state visitors pour into La Florista's Dispensary. The shop hosted a 420 festival with live music in their vape lounge while merchants in the small town embraced the day showcasing souvenir t-shirts, mugs, and paraphernalia with "I Love Weed."