Lawmakers Approve Measure to Make California a Sanctuary State for Marijuana

Lawmakers Approve Measure to Make California a Sanctuary State for Marijuana

California’s full Assembly has given approval to legislation to make Cali a sanctuary state for marijuana.

Assembly Bill 1578 was passed yesterday with a 41 to 33 vote by the California Assembly. The measure will now be sent to the Senate, where passage would send it to Governor Jerry Brown for consideration. Governor  Brown would then have the option of signing it into law, allowing it to become law without his signature, or vetoing it.

If the bill does become law, Assembly Bill 1578 will prohibit state and local agencies from using “money, facilities, property, equipment, or personnel to assist a federal agency to investigate, detain, detect, report, or arrest a person for commercial or noncommercial marijuana or medical cannabis activity that is authorized by law in the State of California”, unless there is a court order signed by a judge.

It would also prevent them from responding to a request “made by a federal agency for personal information about an individual who is authorized to possess, cultivate, transport, manufacture, sell, or possess for sale marijuana or marijuana products or medical cannabis or medical cannabis products, if that request is made for the purpose of investigating or enforcing federal marijuana law.”

The measure also clarifies that state and local agencies would also not be allowed to “Provide information about a person who has applied for or received a license to engage in commercial marijuana or commercial medical cannabis activity pursuant to MCRSA or AUMA”, or “Transfer an individual to federal law enforcement authorities for purposes of marijuana enforcement or detain an individual at the request of federal law enforcement for conduct that is legal under state law.”

The proposal “ensures that our limited local and state resources are not spent on federal marijuana enforcement against individuals and entities that are in compliance with our laws,” Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer – the bill’s lead sponsor – said during a debate on the Assembly floor.

You can click here for the full text of Assembly Bill 1578,.

 

[Update, 6/6/2017: This article has been updated to reflect that Assembly Bill 1578 has been passed by California’s full Assembly, but not the Senate.]