Five important marijuana bills pending in California Legislature

This is an exciting year for marijuana policy reform in California. If all goes well, by this September, California will have improved its medical marijuana law, legalized "paraphernalia" for medical purposes, downgraded the classification for marijuana possession from a misdemeanor to an infraction, demanded that the federal government accept Proposition 215, and continued funding the University of California's Marijuana Research Program. There is a lot of work to be done, both before and after these bills reach Gov. Gray Davis' (D) desk, and we need your help.

Introduced by Sen. John Vasconcellos (D-Senate District 13), S.B. 420 expands and clarifies California's medical marijuana law. Among other improvements, this bill mandates the creation of a state registry and the distribution of state medical marijuana ID cards. Registration would be optional, but it would ensure that medical marijuana patients in less "tolerant" areas of California are protected from arrest. This legislation passed the Senate Committee on Public Safety by a vote of 5-1 and the Senate Committee on Appropriations by a vote of 7-5. The Senate vote may take place as soon as tomorrow, and you have the power to help pass this bill into law.

Please take a few moments to Take Action now. After you choose your favorite pre-written letter and type in your address, our site will automatically e-mail your letter to your assembly member and your senator … all with the click of a few buttons. The whole process takes less than two minutes, but it makes a world of difference. Also, you can print the letters and send them to your legislators through regular mail.

On May 6, Assemblyman Marco Antonio Firebaugh (D-50th Assembly District) amended A.B. 1534 into a drug paraphernalia bill. This bill explicitly allows devices used for the inhalation of medical marijuana under state and federal law (including distribution), granting additional protections to medical marijuana patients. Further, it could help to legally protect and restore the industries within California that provide such devices.

The California Senate passed S.B. 131 by a commanding 21-13 vote on May 8. This legislation, introduced by Sen. Byron Sher (D-Senate District 11), would change the classification of possession of less than one ounce of marijuana from a misdemeanor to an infraction. Amazingly, more than 2,400 letters supporting S.B. 131 have already been sent to legislators through the MPP Web site. There is no doubt that your efforts here helped to push the bill though the Senate. If you have not already sent letters in support of S.B. 131 to your legislators, please take a few minutes to Take Action now.

Through A.J.R. 13, the California Legislature asks the U.S. Congress and President George W. Bush (R) to acknowledge marijuana's medical benefits under federal law. After its introduction by Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-13th Assembly District), this resolution passed the California Assembly by a vote of 42-32 on April 24 and is now in the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services. It is an important declaration of California's state's rights. Passing this resolution would show the federal government that California will stand by its medical marijuana patients and caregivers, even as the DEA continues to harass and intimidate them.

Another bill introduced by Sen. Vasconcellos, S.B. 295, would eliminate the three-year limit on the California Marijuana Research Program. The important research conducted at the University of California under this program cannot continue without S.B. 295's passage. Currently, the bill has passed the Senate by a vote of 26-12 and is awaiting a committee referral in the Assembly.

MPP will keep you updated as these five bills continue to make their way through the legislative process. Thank you for your activism in changing California's marijuana laws, and please pass this message on to other interested California residents. For the full text of these bills, click here.