Last week, California lawmakers introduced a new bill to increase protections for California cannabis businesses from federal persecution. The timing couldnt be better as a new president and incoming federal administration have many in the cannabis industry concerned about the future of legal marijuana in the United States.
California Assembly Bill 1578 would prohibit California state and local agencies from taking certain actions and assisting federal agencies in enforcing federal law against marijuana businesses for medical or recreational cannabis activities authorized under California law.
The prohibited activities would include:
- Using agency money, facilities, property, equipment, or personnel to assist a federal agency to investigate, detain, detect, report, or arrest a person for commercial or noncommercial marijuana or medical cannabis activity authorized by law in the State of California.
- Responding to a request made by a federal agency for personal information about an individual who is authorized to possess, cultivate, transport, manufacture, sell, or possess for sale marijuana or marijuana products or medical cannabis or medical cannabis products, if that request is made for the purpose of investigating or enforcing federal marijuana law.
- Providing information about a person who has applied for or received a license to engage in commercial marijuana or commercial medical cannabis activity pursuant to MCRSA or AUMA.
- Transferring an individual to federal law enforcement authorities for purposes of marijuana enforcement or detain an individual at the request of federal law enforcement for conduct legal under state law.
State and local agencies would only be allowed to take these actions if they receive a court order signed by a judge. Thus, AB 1578 would protect California cannabis businesses that are operating legally in the state from being handed over to federal law enforcement unless a judicial exception is made.
The bill is similar to other legislation proposed by California lawmakers and signed into law by California Governor Jerry Brown in September of last year. In Assembly Bill 2679, California lawmakers provided guidance for cannabis manufacturers currently operating in the state to increase their protection against misguided ...
