Today the Assembly and Senate have agreed to move forward on a package that would create a framework for the medical cannabis industry in California.
Assemblyman Wood said, “This package is the end product of countless hours meeting with stakeholders and extensive negotiations with the Governor’s office. I am thrilled that AB 243, which overcame resistance to its groundbreaking definition of cannabis as an agricultural product, and which focuses specifically on the needs of the north coast, will serve as the foundation of the cultivation language in this year’s cannabis package.”
The package will put most of the cultivation language of AB 243 into SB 643 (McGuire) ensuring that the original language will be used to create the proposed regulations for the cultivation of medical cannabis in California. However the proposed excise tax that would have created $60 million for environmental cleanup and public safety has been dropped from the package.
“We desperately need the resources to manage this industry that has boomed on the north coast and to protect our rivers and forests. I am disappointed we were not able to reach an agreement that included those resources this year. I think good progress has been made and I have educated a number of my colleagues which is a great place to be as I plan to pursue the tax next year.”
The Assembly and Senate have until midnight on Friday to pass the three bills AB 266 (Bonta), AB 243(Wood) and SB 643(McGuire) that make up this year’s cannabis package and send them to the Governor’s office for approval.
Elected in 2014, Assemblymember Jim Wood (D- Healdsburg) represents the 2nd Assembly District, which includes all of Del Norte, Trinity, Humboldt and Mendocino counties, plus northern and coastal Sonoma County, including the northern half of Santa Rosa.