“Urine tests are a highly offensive invasion of workers’ personal bodily privacy,” said Dale Gieringer, the Director of California NORML — which had lobbied for several years in favor of the bill. “They are too frequently abused to discriminate against unpopular workers and minorities. Workers should have the same right to use cannabis as to use other legal substances off the job.”
State lawmakers have advanced several priority bills to Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk and a few more remain pending but are up against a tight timeline. The legislative session in California ends on August 31st. Any bills not transmitted to the Governor will die after that date. (Once advanced to the Governor, he has 30 days to act on the bills.)
Republican Gov. Charlie Baker has signed legislation into law that seeks to promote greater diversity among those participating in the state’s licensed cannabis industry and that lays the groundwork for the establishment of on-site cannabis consumption facilities.
“These are common sense reforms provide further and sorely needed protections and freedoms for patients and others. Lawmakers are to be commended for putting politics aside and taking these important steps forward.”
The Act provides the office of the US Attorney General with a 60-day timeline to either approve or deny the applications from scientists wishing to engage in clinical trials involving the use of cannabis by human subjects.
“These are common sense reforms provide further and sorely needed protections and freedoms for patients and others. Lawmakers are to be commended for putting politics aside and taking these important steps forward.”
NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano praised lawmakers for advancing these measures to the Governor’s desk. “These are common sense reforms that will provide further protections and freedoms to patients and others and they ought to be enacted swiftly by Gov. John Bel Edwards,” he said.