Gov. Gavin Newsom Signs Slew of Marijuana Bills

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a slew of legislation this week intended to insure easy access to marijuana and guarantee that past use is not held against anybody. Ten bills were signed in all, including the law —just covered by the California Globe–that bars companies from firing workers for off site pot use.

One much noted measure seals records of past convictions for marijuana and another even allows vets to recommend pot for animals.

“For too many Californians, the promise of cannabis legalization remains out of reach,” Newsom gushed in a press release.  “These measures build on the important strides our state has made toward this goal, but much work remains to build an equitable, safe and sustainable legal cannabis industry. I look forward to partnering with the Legislature and policymakers to fully realize cannabis legalization in communities across California.”

It’s one thing to decriminalize marijuana, but should it really be glorified the way the governor is doing?

Getting stoned is not a particularly virtuous act.

Studies have shown that marijuana has many harmful effects, in addition to being a gateway to harder drug use.

But now Newsom has become a tool of the pothead lobby.

 “We’re very happy the governor signed every bill that we wanted him to sign,” Dale Gieringer, director of the California chapter of the National Organization for Reforming Marijuana Laws told the California Globe.

Gieringer said he is most pleased with the legislation that forbids employees from firing workers for off site marijuana use. “The bill we sponsored that will effect the most people ends the obnoxious practice for urine testing. We worked on that bill for six years. We guaranteed workers rights.”

The other legislation signed includes:

• AB 1706 by Assemblywoman Mia Bonta (D-Oakland). The statute seals marijuana convictions. Newsom said in a press release it would further “unwind California’s failed history of cannabis prohibition.” Bonta has cast the legislation as a matter of so-called racial equity. “My bill will provide relief to the tens of thousands of deserving Californians who are still waiting,”she said when the legislation was introduced. ”This is a must for people of color, especially for Black folks disproportionately targeted by the War on Drugs, which would further support California’s reentry [into society goals.”
• SB 1326 by Senator Anna Caballero (D-Merced) establishes a framework for California to export marijuana to other states.  But it’s currently illegal under federal law to export marijuana from state to state so this bill is purely theoretical for now.  Sort of virtue signaling for potheads. Announcing the legislation this March, Sen. Caballero said SB 1326 is “an essential step to ensure that California can fully capitalize on, and remain a leader in, the national cannabis market. California can and should lay the groundwork for a multi-state legal cannabis market which will benefit our rural economy and our workers. This strategy can be replicated on a national scale and it’s my hope that SB 1326 will give California a competitive advantage.”
• AB 2210 by Assemblyman Bill Quirk (D-Hayward) allows establishments licensed by the Department of Alcohohlic Beverage Control to host events with marijuana.
• AB 1894 by Assemblywoman Luz Rivas (D-Arleta) is a labeling bill. It requires disposable vape products to be non-recyclable. They have to go in bins for hazardous waste.
• SB 1186 by Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) – Medicinal Cannabis Patients’ Right of Access Act prohibits municipalities and localities from banning medical marijuana. So the bill preempts local legislation. Touting the his law Wiener said earlier this year “Nearly two-thirds of California cities ban the sale of medical cannabis. This means that some of our most vulnerable Californians – seniors and people living with disabilities and chronic illnesses – are not able to access legal, tested medical cannabis where they live. Cannabis is a critically important and even life-saving medicine. For the cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy or the senior living with chronic pain, this ban on medical cannabis can be catastrophic. SB 1186 restores medical cannabis access across the state to help people get the medicine they need.”
• AB 2568 by Assemblyman Ken Cooley (D-Rancho Cordova) – Cannabis makes it legal for insurers to provide insurance to  persons “licensed to engage in commercial cannabis activity.”
• AB 2925 by Assemblyman Jim Cooper (D-Elk Grove) requires  spending reports on how money from marijuana taxes are disbursed.
• AB 1646 by Assemblyman Phillip Chen (R-Yorba Linda) concerns how marijuana is packaged. It forbids any packaging that is attractive to children.
• AB 1885 sponsored by Assemblyman Ash Kalra (D-San Jose) allows veterinarians to issue recommendations for marijuana use for pets. It was previously illegal under California law for them to do that kind of thing. Announcing the legislation Kalra said “With ever-increasing evidence supporting the beneficial role of cannabis for animal-use, pet owners need the best information around safe and responsible use. AB 1885 would ensure that veterinarians are able to use their expert judgment to recommend regulated, therapeutic cannabis products for the pets in their care.”

California NORML director Dale Gieringer told the California Globe there is a market for pet marijuana.  “There is a big constituency of pet owners who want to use pot” for their animals.

So Newsom is not content for just Californians to be stoned; he wants their pets to be zoned out as well?