Compassionate Care Bill Continues Through Committee

California Assembly Chamber

California’s Compassion Care Bill – SB 829 is bill to remove some of the financial barriers to cannabis business operators that want to provide products to medical cannabis patients in need.  As the current regulations stand, small collectives dedicated to assisting patients are having a difficult time or closing altogether.

The bill’s author, Senator Scott Wiener, stated in a media interview that is was not the intent of the voters to over tax patients and put compassionate collectives and cooperatives out of business.  What Wiener apparently missed is that the Bureau of Cannabis Control is doing away with collectives and cooperatives on January 9, 2019. 

SB 829 is currently making its way through Assembly Committees.  The next committee to hear this bill is Appropriations.  PAN has written to all committee members and their staff in support of Compassionate Care with an important amendment – keep collectives and cooperatives, especially in conjunction with Compassionate Care.  This business model is a natural fit for operations that give away much of their product to indigent patients.  

If you want to contact the Appropriations Committee, please find more information below.  This bill is not scheduled for hearing yet but anticipated to be heard the beginning of August. If you want or need assistance writing your comments to the committee, please contact PAN.  We are here to help you be an effective advocate. 

Look up the bill here:

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billSearchClient.xhtml

Learn more about the Committee here:

https://apro.assembly.ca.gov

Email list of Assembly Committee members, their chief of staff where available, and the Committee Consultants

Jay Dickenson – Chief Consultant Appropriations Committee  

jay.dickenson@asm.ca.gov

Jennifer Galehouse – Deputy Chief Consultant  

Jennifer.Galehouse@asm.ca.gov

Lorena S. Gonzalez Fletcher (Chair)

assemblymember.gonzalez@assembly.ca.gov,evan.mclaughlin@asm.ca.gov

Frank Bigelow (Vice Chair)

assemblymember.bigelow@assembly.ca.gov,kirk.kimmelshue@asm.ca.gov

Richard Bloom

assemblymember.bloom@assembly.ca.gov, sean.macneil@asm.ca.gov

Rob Bonta

assemblymember.bonta@assembly.ca.gov,evan.corder@asm.ca.gov

William P. Brough

assemblymember.brough@assembly.ca.gov

Ian C. Calderon

assemblymember.calderon@assembly.ca.gov,tom.white@asm.ca.gov

Wendy Carrillo

assemblymember.carrillo@assembly.ca.gov,Alicia.Isaacs@asm.ca.gov

Ed Chau

assemblymember.chau@assembly.ca.gov,edmundo.cuevas@asm.ca.gov

Susan Talamantes Eggman

assemblymember.eggman@assembly.ca.gov,david.stammerjohan@asm.ca.gov

Vince Fong

assemblymember.fong@assembly.ca.gov,Samuel.Chung@asm.ca.gov

Laura Friedman

assemblymember.friedman@assembly.ca.gov,Allison.Ruff@asm.ca.gov

James Gallagher

assemblymember.gallagher@assembly.ca.gov,Curtis.Grima@asm.ca.gov

Eduardo Garcia

assemblymember.eduardogarcia@assembly.ca.gov

Adrin Nazarian

assemblymember.nazarian@assembly.ca.gov,daniel.savage@asm.ca.gov

Jay Obernolte

assemblymember.obernolte@assembly.ca.gov

Bill Quirk

assemblymember.quirk@assembly.ca.gov,Tomasa.Duenas@asm.ca.gov

Eloise Gómez Reyes

assemblymember.reyes@assembly.ca.gov,Mark.Farouk@asm.ca.gov

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