AB 21 to remove March 1 MMRSA deadline clears Senate Health Committee

 AB 21, the bill that would remove the March 1 deadline included in last year’s Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act (MMRSA), was unanimously passed by the Senate Health Committee today.

Assemblyman Wood said, “I made a commitment to do everything I can to give local lawmakers the time they need.  We have been working hard to move this as quickly as possible.  I am hopeful that given our success today we can have this on the Governor’s desk by the end of the month.”

During the hearing Assemblyman Wood agreed to amend AB 21 to include language that corrects another drafting mistake made in last year’s Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act (MMRSA).

Over the long weekend, stakeholders came together and struck a compromise agreement that both sides agree protects patients’ access to medicine and local control for cities and counties.  The compromise agreement honors the commitment made by Assemblyman Wood to provide a pathway for Medical Marijuana businesses to comply with state laws as well as to provide patients with proper consumer protections.

“This agreement between stakeholders’ means we can cleanup both of these issues without jeopardizing the timeline of removing the March 1st deadline,” said Assemblyman Wood.

 AB 21 will be heard be heard on the Senate floor on Monday January 25th.

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.