California Senate Passes Bill To Relax Urgency Over Medical Marijuana
Sacramento, CA — As several cities and counties are rushing to pass medical marijuana regulations, the state Senate has passed a bill that may relax some of the urgency.
AB 21 passed yesterday in the Senate with a 35-3 vote and it now moves to the Assembly. Proponents hope to have it on Governor Jerry Brown’s desk by the first week of February. The Governor signed a 70-page medical marijuana bill at the end of the last session, however, a provision stated that California has the authority to license growers in cities or counties that do not have their own laws passed by March 1st of this year. This has resulted in several jurisdictions racing to pass medical marijuana cultivation rules in order to keep local control. AB 21 would eliminate the March 1st deadline.
Tuolumne and Calaveras counties, as well as the cities of Sonora and Angels Camp have been working on new medical marijuana cultivation rules. It is not immediately known if the state action would slow any of those current plans.
