The U.S. Hemp Roundtable is reporting that a final deal has been reached with California Gov. Gavin Newsom to move to final passage AB 45, a long term effort to explicitly permit the retail sale of hemp-derived extracts such as CBD in the state.
A highlight of the compromise was the removal of language to ban hemp smokables in the state – replaced by a phase-in approach that will permit their sale to adults and the immediate manufacture of smokable products to be sold in other states.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D)
“We are deeply grateful for the leadership of Gov. Gavin Newsom, who met with Roundtable leadership and was deeply invested in securing passage of this bill,” said U.S. Hemp Roundtable General Counsel Jonathan Miller. “We are also appreciative for the leadership of the California Hemp Council, the voice of the state’s hemp industry, which partnered with the Roundtable, other California stakeholders, and … bill sponsor, Rep. Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, to secure the final compromise.”
The Roundtable said it was most thankful to its grassroots California Hemp Supporters, who made sure that policymakers in the state capital of Sacramento heard the concerns of hemp farmers, CBD businesses and product consumers.
While the bill has sailed through six legislative committees and the Assembly floor with only a handful of “no” votes, Miller said that the measure faces a final vote on the Senate floor next week, with one last vote on the assembly floor next Thursday or Friday.
“We are asking Hemp Supporters one more time to head to our State Action Center to urge their state legislators to vote for this critical bill,” Miller added.
The U.S. Hemp Roundtable is the hemp industry’s national advocacy organization, a coalition of dozens of leading companies and organizations committed to safe hemp and CBD products. The Roundtable works in partnership with the industry’s leading national, regional and state grassroots organizations, and is leading the way forward for hemp and CBD products through education and action.
