Kharla Vezzetti

A woman triumphantly waves a "California Republic" flag and carries an armful of freshly-harvested marijuana plants. She is depicted against a yellow sky with billowing clouds at sunrise. Text in the scroll at the bottom reads, "Sow the seeds of Victory!" Cal NORML.

Cal NORML Election Guide 2026


A woman waving a "California Republic" flag carries an armful of marijuana plants. She is depicted against a yellow sunlit background. Text at the bottom reads, "Sow the seeds of Victory!" Cal NORML.

Cal NORML Voter Guide to Cannabis Candidates

November 2026 Election

UPDATED: 8/20/26. We will continue to update as we gather more information about candidates. 

Got input on candidates or races? Write here.

Artwork: Ruth Anne

Quick Links: EXECUTIVE / CONGRESS / STATE SENATE / STATE ASSEMBLY / LOCAL

Pro-reform candidates’ names are in green; Anti-reform in red; Neutral in black.

Governor

Xavier Becerra has posted a consistently good record on cannabis issues in a career spanning 12 terms as an L.A.…

Prop. 215 activists with their Lifetime Achievement Awards, presented by the CA State Fair. Photo by Matt Allen.

Prop. 215 Activists Celebrated at CA State Fair

Prop. 215 activists were honored at the California State Fair on Saturday, in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the passage of the landmark Compassionate Use Act.

“Thirty years ago, this whole wonderful event here was inconceivable. it was a mandatory felony to grow or sell any marijuana, anywhere in the US,” Cal NORML director Dale Gieringer, a co-author of the Compassionate Use Act, said in a speech at Saturday’s event. “But a growing number of people were discovering that marijuana was useful for AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, chronic pain, and many other conditions.…

A judge’s gavel rests beside a nameplate labeled “Second Amendment.” Bold text at the bottom reads “July 2026 Update” on a wood surface, hinting at a Supreme Court decision on whether marijuana users can possess guns. Ca NORML

What the New US Supreme Court Decision Means for Marijuana Users Who Want to Possess Guns

By C.D. Michel, Michel & Associates, P.C.
Second Amendment

A judge’s gavel rests beside a nameplate labeled “Second Amendment.” Bold text at the bottom reads “July 2026 Update” on a wood surface, hinting at a Supreme Court decision on whether marijuana users can possess guns. Ca NORML

Introduction

In our prior articles for California NORML, we discussed how federal gun laws intersect with California’s legalization of recreational and medical marijuana use. We explained that, even though California law allows marijuana use, federal law continued to treat marijuana as a controlled substance and barred “unlawful users” of controlled substances from possessing firearms or ammunition.

That analysis has now changed in a big way. On June 18, 2026, the United States Supreme Court decided United States v.…

Area chart titled "Marijuana Arrests by Race 2015-2024" shows cannabis crimes in California, with arrests for White (blue), Black (orange), and Hispanic (gray) individuals declining—though disproportionate arrests persist, especially for Hispanic individuals. Ca NORML

Blacks and Latinos Disproportionately Arrested for Cannabis Crimes in California

Stacked area chart titled "Marijuana Arrests by Race 2015-2025" shows declining cannabis crimes for Whites (blue), Blacks (orange), and Latinos (gray), with all groups experiencing significant decreases over time. Ca NORML

Although the number of people arrested for cannabis crimes in California has dramatically declined since the voters legalized adult use and sales of cannabis in 2016, people of Latino descent are more than twice as likely as Whites to be arrested for cannabis crimes in California, and Blacks are more than five times more likely. These racial disparities have worsened since legalization.

According to the 2025 Crime in California report released by California’s Attorney General Rob Bonta on July 1, the felony marijuana arrest rate decreased 13.3% in 2025 (440 in 2024 to 399 in 2025).…

A warning sign with a cannabis leaf and exclamation point is labeled "CA." A large red stamp with the word "RECALLED" in green covers the sign, highlighting its status as public record information. Ca NORML

Reading DCC’s Recall and Enforcement Pages, and the Regulations Underneath Them

A warning sign with a cannabis leaf and exclamation point is labeled "CA." A large red stamp with the word "RECALLED" in green covers the sign, highlighting its status as public record information. Ca NORML

by Brandon Moore, Phenominal Consulting

The Department of Cannabis Control publishes every recall and every enforcement action it issues on two public web pages.1 No login, no records request, no fee. Anyone can read them, search them by license number, and walk the entire history. Almost nobody in the industry does.

That is the strange part. For the operator named in a recall, those pages are the worst day of the quarter. For everyone else, the same pages are the regulator quietly telling you, in advance, where it has been looking and what it has been finding.…

A pair of hands, one in a handcuff and the other breaking free, are raised against a background of marijuana leaves. The image suggests liberation or freedom in the context of Prop. 64 and marijuana arrests. CA Norml

Benefits of Legal Cannabis Under Prop 64

Infographic showing the benefits of legal cannabis in California under Prop 64: 215,000 crimes expunged, 80,000 jobs created, $7 billion in taxes generated, decreased crime rates, reduced arrests, no rise in auto fatalities or youth use, and increased parental rights. Ca NORML

Since Californians legalized adult cannabis use and sales 10 years ago in 2016, our state and its citizens have seen many benefits from the laws that Prop. 64 put in place.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND HUMAN RIGHTS BENEFITS

…
Banner with red and green text reads: "Join Us July 18th at the California State Fair! 215 Tribute ACTIVIST TRIBUTE." It features a green medical cross with a cannabis leaf and the California Cannabis Awards seal. Ca NORML

215 Tribute at California State Fair July 18th

The California Cannabis Awards Celebrates Prop 215

Seal for the California Cannabis Awards at the California State Fair, featuring a brown bear, a cannabis leaf, and text—a Cal 215 Tribute design. Ca NORML
Poster for the Cal 215 Tribute at the CA State Fair in Sacramento on July 18, 2026, featuring cannabis-themed logos. Join us as we celebrate the Compassionate Use Act’s 30th anniversary and honor Prop 215 activists!. Ca NORML

Join us on July 18, 2026 in Sacramento for a Special California Cannabis Awards an exciting event during the California Cannabis Experience exhibit at the California State Fair.

For five years, the California Cannabis Awards has honored the growers, makers, innovators, and visionaries shaping the Golden State’s cannabis culture. 

This year brings a new category of “Home Grow – Personal Use” where hobby growers from across the State will win recognition, medals, and, for one, the coveted Golden Bear trophy for “Best in California.”

…
A map of California highlights Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Nevada, Santa Cruz, Sonoma, and Trinity counties in green. Text reads: "Budist 2025 California Cannabis Harvest Report" with a cannabis leaf icon. Forest graphics border the image. Ca NORML

Budist 2025 California Cannabis Harvest Report Released

A map of California highlights Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Nevada, Santa Cruz, Sonoma, and Trinity counties in green. Text reads: "Budist 2025 California Cannabis Harvest Report" with a cannabis leaf icon. Forest graphics border the image. Ca NORML

A well-attended event in Berkeley on Saturday, May 16 presented the Budist 2025 California Cannabis Harvest Report, with outdoor farmers represented from the report’s covered counties: Humboldt, Trinity, Mendocino, Sonoma, Lake, Nevada and Santa Cruz. Starting from DCC dashboard numbers and adding in the number of licensees producing outdoor crops, the report highlights farmers and cultivars in each region, and looks at statewide trends.

The 2025 outdoor cannabis harvest was the largest since 2022; however all counties in the report except Mendocino lost market share in California’s outdoor market in 2025 vs.…

A diverse group gathers in front of the U.S. Capitol building for Lobby Day, holding signs supporting cannabis legalization and Latino representation, during an outdoor press event organized by the Cannabis Unity Coalition on a sunny day. Ca NORML

Cal NORML Joins Cannabis Unity Coalition Lobby Day in DC

The Cannabis Unity Coalition press conference at the US Capitol on May 14, 2026

Cal NORML participated in Cannabis Unity Coalition lobby day last week in Washington, DC to lobby for full cannabis decriminalization, release of federal marijuana prisoners, and the clearing of records for past marijuana convictions.

Watch the coalition press conference held at the US Capitol at which Cannabis Caucus Co-Chairs Dina Titus (D-NV) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN) spoke, along with Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN). Read more.

Also speaking were representatives from Latino and Indigenous groups, prisoner advocates, Students for Sensible Drug Policy, NORML, MPP, DPA, and others.…

A cannabis vape pen rests atop two green cannabis leaves.

Cal NORML Pilot Study Finds Using Cannabis Vape Pens Less Harmful Than Smoked Joints

A cannabis vape pen rests atop two green cannabis leaves.

Cannabis vape pens expose users to significantly less harmful toxins than smoked joints, according to a new lab study  sponsored by California NORML.  The study compared the emissions of two different vape pens – a disposable and a reusable cartridge model – with pre-roll joints purchased from a San Diego dispensary.  The vape pens emitted significantly cleaner emissions than the joint for almost all toxins tested, and, unlike the joint, were within EPA safe daily exposure limits for regular users.

“The dangers of vapes have been misrepresented by anti-smoking advocates to suggest their emissions are as hazardous as smoke,” says Cal NORML director Dale Gieringer. …