Cannabis Practitioners Group
Interested in receiving content and communications from the Cannabis Practitioners Group?
Cannabis Practitioners Group Officers
Cannabis Practitioners Group Mission Statement
The Cannabis Practitioners Group (CPG) of the California Lawyers Association is a CLA-wide group of voluntary attorneys who currently – or would like to – practice law in service of the cannabis industry and movement in California. The mission of the CPG is to:
- Provide legal education on cannabis law issues to California lawyers who are not already practicing in this area.
- Develop networking opportunities among current cannabis law practitioners and other attorneys and professionals whose work may cross-over with cannabis law issues.
- Support California law students and newer attorneys who are interested in practicing law within the cannabis industry and movement in California.
- Articulate policy positions of California lawyers on legislative and regulatory issues impacting the cannabis industry and movement.
Upcoming Events
California Legislation 2024
The 2024 California Legislative Session convened on January 3, 2024, and it adjourned on August 31, 2024. Upcoming legislative deadline: September 30, 2024 for the Governor to sign or veto bills passed by the Legislature before September 1.
| BILL NO. | SUMMARY | STATUS |
|---|---|---|
| SB 1511 (Committee on Health) | To authorize a general acute care hospital to allow terminally ill patients to use medicinal cannabis. | 09/04/24 Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m. |
| SB 1109 (Bradford) | To address collection of demographic information of licensees and applicants for licensure. | 09/03/24 Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3 p.m. |
| SB 1064 (Laird) | To consolidate licensing for commercial cannabis activities, other than cultivation and laboratory testing, under one “operator license” type. | 09/03/24 Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3 p.m. |
| AB 2136 (Jones-Sawyer) | To curb overdose deaths by providing essential protections for drug checking program providers and encourage more jurisdictions to offer checking services. | 08/30/24 Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 59. Noes 5.). |
| SB 1498 (Ashby) | To authorize Attorney General and local district attorneys and county counsel to bring a civil action to redress a violation of advertising and marketing restrictions. | 08/30/24 Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 40. Noes 0.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling. |
| SB 1059 (Bradford) | To prohibit a city or county from including in the definition of gross receipts, for purposes of any local tax or fee on a licensed cannabis retailer, the amount of any cannabis excise tax imposed under the Cannabis Tax Law or any sales and use taxes. | 08/30/24 In Senate. Ordered to engrossing and enrolling. |
| AB 3054 (Berman) | To add DCC directors to the list of individuals prohibited from receiving any commission or profit whatsoever, directly or indirectly, from any person applying for or receiving any license or permit. | 08/30/24 Ordered to inactive file at the request of Senator Ashby. |
| AB 1775 (Haney) | To allow a microbusiness/retailer to prepare or sell noncannabis food or beverage products, sell prepackaged, noncannabis-infused, nonalcoholic food and beverages, and tickets for live musical or other performances, all in consumption areas on premises. | 08/28/24 Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 63. Noes 5.). |
| AB 2555 (Quirk-Silva) | To renew tax-free cannabis compassion programs for indigent patients, which were put into place with SB 34 (Wiener, 2019) and set to expire next year. | 08/28/24 In Assembly. Ordered to Engrossing and Enrolling. |
| AB 2643 (Wood) | To require a study to create a framework for cannabis site restoration projects funded by the Cannabis Restoration Grant Program and to complete the study by January 1, 2027, and to establish a Cannabis-Impacted Lands Restoration Fund, maintained by penalties assessed for violations of environmental laws associated with illicit cannabis cultivation and production. | 08/28/24 Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 77. Noes 0.). |
| AB 1111 (Pellerin) | To require the DCC, no later than January 1, 2026, to issue small producer event sales licenses that authorize license holders to sell their own cannabis or cannabis products at state temporary events direct to consumers. | 08/28/24 Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 69. Noes 2.). |
| AB 2841 (Waldron) | To authorize the Research Advisory Panel to hold closed sessions for the purpose of discussing, reviewing, and approving research projects that require the sharing of trade secrets, potential intellectual property, or proprietary information in its possession, the public disclosure of which is prohibited by law. | 07/18/24 Approved by the Governor. ENACTED |
California Regulations
| California Regulator | Regulations & Guidance |
|---|---|
| Department of Cannabis Control | Commercial Cannabis Regulations (Mar. 2024) Disciplinary Guidelines (Jul. 2022) |
| Department of Food and Agriculture | OCal Regulations (Jul. 2021) Industrial Hemp Law & Regulations (Jun. 2023) Cannabis Appellations Program (Jan. 2022) |
| Department of Fish and Wildlife | Cannabis Program |
| Department of Pesticide Regulation | Cannabis and Hemp Guidance |
| State Water Resources Control Board | Cannabis Cultivation Program |
| Department of Tax and Fee Administration | Tax Guide for Cannabis Businesses |
| Cannabis Control Appeals Panel | Laws and Regulations |
California Case Law
| Court | Case |
|---|---|
| California Court of Appeal, 3rd District | Sacramento Municipal Utility District v. David Kwan (Apr. 30, 2024) |
| California Court of Appeal, 1st District | Apex Solutions v. Falls Lake Insurance Management Co., Inc. (Apr. 16, 2024) |
| United States Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit | Peridot Tree, Inc. v. City of Sacramento (Mar. 4, 2024) |
California Ethics Opinions
| Bar Association | Ethics Opinion |
|---|---|
| State Bar of California | Committee on Professional Responsibility and Conduct Opinion (May 2020) |
| Los Angeles County Bar Association | Professional Responsibility and Ethics Committee Opinion (Aug. 2015) |
| Bar Association of San Francisco | Ethics Committee Opinion (Jun. 2015) |
Webinars and Other Resources
Antitrust and Unfair Competition Law
Business Law
Original Air Date: 4/27/2023
California Cannabis Social Equity Provisions and the Dormant Commerce Clause
Criminal Law
Original Air Date: 8/5/2021
True Color of Marijuana – Stirring the Racial Justice Pot
Environmental Law
Original Air Date: 8/12/2021
The California Cannabis Rush: The Interplay Between Cannabis, Environmental Laws and Regulations
Family Law
Intellectual Property Law
Original Air Date: 10/10/20
Cannabis Intellectual Property Law Nuts & Bolts
Original Air Date: 11/9/2020
Shelter In Place Institute: Cannabis & IP Law Litigation 2020 Update
Original Air Date: 3/10/2020
Trademarks & Cannabis Law
Original Air Date: 1/29/2020
Introduction to IP & Cannabis Law
Original Air Date: 10/21/2020
Trade Secrets in Cannabis
Original Air Date: 11/10/2021
45th Annual IP Institute: Shifting Tokes — Cannabis-Related Patents in a Changing World
Original Air Date: 4/22/2021
Rolling with Patents: IP in Cannabis and Recent Cannabis Patent Litigation
Original Air Date: 7/1/2021
Summer Cannabis (Law) Series: Protecting Cannabis IP in an Uncertain Legal Landscape
Intellectual Property Cannabis Interest Group
Participate in the IP Property Cannabis Interest Group which offers frequent webinar presentations and community discussions of hot topics and practice tips.
The Interest Groups of the IP Section are open to all IP Section members interested in participating. The groups have regular meetings open to all members of the IP Section. They also present educational programs focused on the needs of various IP practices.
All of the interest groups send periodic e-mail bulletins to their members. As an IP Law Section member, you can sign up for the IP Cannabis Interest Group to receive notifications in all areas that interest you.
For more information, contact the Intellectual Property Law Section at IP@calawyers.org.
Announcements of meetings and CLE programs are included in Inevitable Disclosures, which is sent to all members of the Section.
Not a member of the IP Section and want to join the Interest Group? Join IP Section Here and then sign up for the Interest Group Here.
September 2024 Pulgas Ridge Wellness Hike and Discussion
Free event! 1.0 Hour Wellness Competence Law practice can be grueling. The work can be intense, and the hours, long. Stress is inevitable, but with a systematic and comprehensive wellness…
Webinar: The Delphic Oracle: The Supreme Court’s Enigmatic Decisions on Wrongful Profits and Foreign Activities (Abitron and Romag)
Twice in the past four years, the Supreme Court has delivered decisions on trademark monetary remedies.
48th IP Institute
It's confirmed! The 48th IP Institute will be held on March 6-8, 2025 at the Marriott Long Beach Downtown.
We are committed to accessibility! Virtual events are equipped with closed captioning. To request an in-person accommodation, send us a note at accessibility@calawyers.org or contact us at 916-516-1760 for assistance.
International Law and Immigration
Original Air Date: 1/19/2022
Cannabis and Hemp: Opportunities and Pitfalls for the Foreign Investor
Original Air Date: Summer 2019
Immigrant Investors and Cannabis Business Opportunities in the United States
Labor and Employment Law
Original Air Date: 9/3/2020
Work and Weed: What Lawyers Need to Know about Cannabis in the Workplace
Law Practice Management and Technology
Litigation
New Lawyers
Privacy Law
Public Law
Original Air Date: 10/22/2021
Hot Topics in Cannabis Licensing and Regulatory Activity-What Every Cannabis Lawyer Should Know
Real Property Law
Original Air Date: 8/5/2021
Summer Cannabis (Law) Series: Practical Advice for Representing Clients in the Sale and Lease of Real Estate for Cannabis Use
Original Release Date: 2020
Attorney Ethics and Cannabis: Conflicts of Laws, Conflicts of Interest, and Attorney-Client Privilege for Cannabis Practitioners