A group of Californians is gathered outside on a sunny day, holding signs and banners supporting Senate Bill 289, the Zero-Tolerance DUI Bill promoting safe driving. The diverse group includes people of various ages, all smiling and posing for the photo on a grassy area. CA Norml

Californians Rally Against Zero-Tolerance DUI Bill

UPDATE April 30 – After over 3,400 letters and emails were sent from NORML supporters in opposition to this bill, it was pulled from consideration this year. April 23 – Dale Gieringer of California NORML spoke today at a rally in Sacramento against a bill that would make any amount of marijuana or drugs in …

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MMJ Regulation Bill AB 473 (Ammiano) approved by committee

SACRAMENTO Apr 23. – The Assembly Public Safety Committee approved Tom Ammiano’s MMJ regulation bill AB 473 on a party line vote. The bill would create a new Division of MMJ Regulation and Enforcement in the Dept of Alcoholic Beverages Control to regulate commercial sales, production, manufacture, testing and transport for MMJ. Testifying in favor …

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Acting Governor Newsom Calls for Marijuana Decriminalization at CA Democratic Convention

April 14 – Serving as acting governor while Jerry Brown is in China on a trade mission, California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom called for the decriminalization of marijuana in his speech at the California Democratic Convention in Sacramento on Saturday. Newsom joked about an acting governor library currently being constructed in the back of a …

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Five people stand in a row, each holding a plaque. They are smiling and appear to be at the Conference of the Century in San Francisco. Four of them wear name tags on their chests. The background is a plain, white wall. CA Norml

Conference of the Century Held in San Francisco

Over 300 people attended California NORML’s conference marking the 100th anniversary of marijuana prohibition in California, held January 26 & 27 at Ft. Mason Conference Center in San Francisco. The conference began with presentations on the history of cannabis prohibition and the resistance to it. The Board of Pharmacy pushed for a law in 1913 …

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Concord Votes for Outdoor Medical Marijuana Cultivation Ban; Pledges to Enforce Only as Complaint-Driven

UPDATE 5/9: Stephanie Chaung of NBC Bay Area did some great research for this story, uncovering the fact that only four outdoor medical marijuana gardens were reported in complaints in Concord since 2009, and only one had a violent episode. The police sergeant she interviews speaks of home invasion robberies, something moving gardens indoors will …

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Feds Push Flawed Driving Study / California DUI Bill to Have Senate Hearing

Federal researchers this week began a serious PR push arguing that chronic cannabis consumers suffer impaired psychomotor/cognitive skills for a period of up to 30 days or more post-abstinence and, as a result, should not be legally permitted to drive. Note that this study did NOT actually examine the driving performance of cannabis consumers. Rather, …

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CAL NORML NEWS OF THE WEEK March 8, 2013

ACTION ITEMS: Oppose Correa DUI Bill SB289 (This bill has been referred to the Senate Public Safety committee; see Drug Testing News below.) Support Federal Measures to Legalize Marijuana and Regulate Its Sales City of Concord to vote on outdoor mmj cultivation ban on March 26 STATE NEWS: Los Angeles Mayoral frontrunner Eric Garcetti urges …

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A man in a suit and tie stands in front of an American flag. He is smiling and has short, light brown hair. The background is a gradient of blue shades, reminiscent of discussions on rational marijuana policy led by figures like Rep. Swalwell. CA Norml

Former Prosecutor Rep. Swalwell Announces Support for Rational Federal Marijuana Policy

Kudos to Rep. Eric Swalwell, the southern East Bay’s new Congress member, for co-sponsoring the Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act, the States’ Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act, and other marijuana reform bills. Thanks too to our local activists and supporters who helped bring this issue to Rep. Swalwell’s attention. – Dale Gieringer, Cal NORML Former …

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