Urgent Update: Yesterday, September 8th, AB-45 was voted on by the Senate with a 29 to 2 vote in favor of the bill. The bill will now move rapidly through the Assembly as all bills must be completed and approved by September 10th. It is URGENT to continue to voice your concerns and opposition to AB-45 to your Assemblymembers. Phone calls are probably best at this stage of the game, but emails and faxes are good too. The authors of this bill did not take into account farmer’s concerns and the threat that AB-45 presents to California’s industrial hemp industry is huge.
The smokable flower ban was removed but the addition of Section 111921.6. (a) is equally concerning. This reads: “Manufacture or sale of inhalable products is prohibited. Manufacture of inhalable products for the sole purpose of sale in other states is not prohibited.” AND (b) This section shall become inoperative and is repealed on the effective date of a measure passed by the Legislature that establishes a tax on inhalable products and states the intent of the Legislature to fulfill the requirements of this section.”
So, in a nutshell it appears as though smokable flower and smokable flower products are not going to be able to be sold in California following passage of this bill until the legislature passes a bill to tax the product, not likely to happen anytime soon.
Click on this link to read an abbreviated overview of the amended bill. https://openstates.org/ca/bills/20212022/AB45/
On September 2nd, the State of California’s Industrial Hemp Advisory Board (IHAB) which makes recommendations on Industrial Hemp regulations, passed a resolution against AB-45. The resolution stated: Whereas California hemp farmers have not effectively been consulted nor had input on legislative bill AB-45, and that California hemp farmers and hemp organizations that know about AB-45 have voiced their opposition and concerns to IHAB and it’s board members, therefore the Industrial Hemp Advisory Board of CDFA recommends that AB-45 be halted and not move forward, in the current legislative session.
The California Hemp Coalition, an alliance of statewide groups representing hemp farmers, businesses and consumers recently reaffirmed their opposition to AB-45 in a press release.
Make your voice heard TODAY.
STOP AB-45 