Bill Text: CA SB34 | 2019-2020 | Regular Session | Amended

California Senate Bill 34 (Prior Session Legislation)

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

Bill Title: Cannabis: donations.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-2)

Status: (Passed) 2019-10-12 - Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 837, Statutes of 2019. [SB34 Detail]

Download: California-2019-SB34-Amended.html

Amended IN Assembly September 06, 2019

Amended IN Assembly September 03, 2019

Amended IN Assembly July 03, 2019

Amended IN Senate April 04, 2019

Amended IN Senate March 21, 2019

Amended IN Senate March 12, 2019

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION

Senate Bill

No. 34

Introduced by Senator Wiener
(Principal coauthors: Assembly Members Bonta and Wood)
(Coauthors: Senators Skinner and Stone)
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Cooley and Mathis)

December 03, 2018

An act to amend Sections 26001, 26153, 26161, and 26162.5 of, and to add Section 26071 to, the Business and Professions Code, and to amend Sections 34010, 34011, and 34012 of, and to add and repeal Sections 6414 and 34012.1 of, the Revenue and Taxation Code, relating to cannabis.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

SB 34, as amended, Wiener. Cannabis: donations.

(1) The Control, Regulate and Tax Adult Use of Marijuana Act (AUMA), an initiative measure approved as Proposition 64 at the November 8, 2016, statewide general election, authorizes a person who obtains a state license under AUMA to engage in commercial adult-use cannabis activity pursuant to that license and applicable local ordinances. The Medicinal and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MAUCRSA), among other things, consolidates the licensure and regulation of commercial medicinal and adult-use cannabis activities.

Existing administrative law prohibits a retailer licensee from providing free cannabis goods to any person or allowing individuals who are not employed by the retailer to provide free cannabis goods to any person on the licensed premises. Existing administrative law provides an exception to this prohibition for specified medicinal retailer and microbusiness licensees to provide access to medicinal cannabis patients who have difficulty accessing medicinal cannabis goods, as specified.

This bill, the Dennis Peron and Brownie Mary Act, would similarly authorize, on and after a specified date, licensees that are authorized to make retail sales to provide free cannabis or cannabis products to a medicinal cannabis patient or the patient’s primary caregiver if specified requirements are met, including that the cannabis or cannabis products otherwise meet specified requirements of MAUCRSA. The bill would authorize those licensees to contract with an individual or organization to coordinate the provision of free medicinal cannabis and medicinal cannabis products on the retailer’s premises.

(2) Existing law deems information contained in a physician’s recommendation to use cannabis for medical purposes to be “medical information” within the meaning of the Confidentiality of Medical Information Act, and prohibits a licensee from disclosing this information except, among other exceptions, as necessary for the state or any city, county, or city and county to perform certain official duties. Existing law, the Medical Marijuana Program (MMP), requires counties to administer an identification card program for qualified patients that possess or cultivate cannabis for personal medical purposes. Existing law deems identification cards issued to those qualified patients to be “medical information” within the meaning of the Confidentiality of Medical Information Act, and likewise prohibits a licensee from disclosing these identification cards, subject to the same exceptions.

This bill would additionally except from these prohibitions against disclosure the disclosure of the medical information described above as necessary for the state or any city, county, or city and county to perform official duties pursuant to the Sales and Use Tax Law and pursuant to provisions relating to cannabis taxes.

(3) Existing sales and use tax laws impose use taxes on the storage, use, or other consumption in this state of tangible personal property purchased from a retailer for storage, use, or other consumption in this state, presumes tangible personal property purchased outside the state that is stored, used, or consumed in this state is purchased for use in this state, and provides various exemptions from those taxes.

This bill, on and after a specified operative date, and until 5 years after that operative date, would exempt from the use tax the storage, use, or other consumption in this state of medicinal cannabis or medicinal cannabis products that are donated, for no consideration, under specified circumstances. The bill would require the exemption to apply only if the cannabis retailer certifies in writing, as specified, that the medicinal cannabis or medicinal cannabis product will be used as specified. The bill would make a licensee that uses the donated medicinal cannabis or medicinal cannabis product in some other manner, or for some other purpose, liable for the payment of use tax and subject to having their license suspended.

The Bradley-Burns Uniform Local Sales and Use Tax Law authorizes counties and cities to impose local sales and use taxes in conformity with the Sales and Use Tax Law, and existing laws authorize districts, as specified, to impose transactions and use taxes in accordance with the Transactions and Use Tax Law, which generally conforms to the Sales and Use Tax Law. Amendments to the Sales and Use Tax Law are automatically incorporated into the local tax laws.

Existing law requires the state to reimburse counties and cities for revenue losses caused by the enactment of sales and use tax exemptions.

This bill would provide that, notwithstanding Section 2230 of the Revenue and Taxation Code, no appropriation is made and the state shall not reimburse any local agencies for sales and use tax revenues lost by them pursuant to this bill.

(4) AUMA imposes an excise tax on the purchase of cannabis and cannabis products, as defined, at the rate of 15% of the average market price of any retail sale by a cannabis retailer.

The bill would require that these provisions not be construed to impose an excise tax upon medicinal cannabis, or medicinal cannabis products, donated for no consideration to a medicinal cannabis patient, as specified.

(5) AUMA imposes a cultivation tax on all harvested cannabis that enters the commercial market upon all cultivators. Existing law defines entering the commercial market to mean cannabis or cannabis products, except for immature cannabis plants and seeds, that complete and comply with specified quality assurance review and testing.

This bill, on and after a specified operative date, and until 5 years after that operative date, would prohibit the cultivation tax from being imposed on medicinal cannabis designated for donation by a cultivator in the track and trace system. The bill would require a ~~cultivator to certify~~ licensee that certifies in writing that the medicinal cannabis or a medicinal cannabis product will be donated to a medicinal cannabis ~~patient,~~ patient and ~~would make a cultivator that~~ sells or uses the medicinal cannabis or medicinal cannabis product in some manner or for some purpose other than donation be liable for the cultivation tax. By expanding the scope of the crime of perjury, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would specify that the certification in writing relieves the cultivator that donates the medicinal cannabis from liability for the cultivation tax and the distributor from liability for collecting the cultivation only if the certification is taken in good faith. The bill would prohibit a distributor from collecting or remitting the cultivation tax for medicinal cannabis or medicinal cannabis products designated for donation by the cultivator. The bill would require a cultivator to keep records of any medicinal cannabis or medicinal cannabis products designated for donation. The bill would require that the cannabis tax provisions not be construed to impose a cultivation tax upon medicinal cannabis or medicinal cannabis products designated for donation by a cultivator.

(6) The bill would require the Legislative Analyst’s Office, in order to enable the Legislature to determine whether the use tax exemption and the cultivation tax exemption provided by the bill are meeting, failing to meet, or exceeding a specified goal and objective, to collect certain data regarding the tax exemptions from specified entities, and to submit a report containing the data to the Legislature and the Governor annually each year that the tax exemptions are in effect.

(7) This bill would provide that the provisions of the act are severable.

(8) This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 26001 of the Business and Professions Code proposed by SB 185 to be operative only if this bill and SB 185 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.
(9) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
~~(8)~~

(10) The Control, Regulate and Tax Adult Use of Marijuana Act, an initiative measure, authorizes the Legislature to amend the act to further the purposes and intent of the act with a ²/₃ vote of the membership of both houses of the Legislature, except as provided.

This bill would declare that its provisions further specified purposes and intent of the Control, Regulate and Tax Adult Use of Marijuana Act.

(9)The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
~~This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.~~

Vote: 2/3 Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: YES

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

This act shall be known as the Dennis Peron and Brownie Mary Act.

SEC. 2.

The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(a) This act intends to regulate the distribution of donated medicinal cannabis and medicinal cannabis products by retailers and compassionate care programs, which were driven to the black market after the legalization of adult-use cannabis.

(b) Historically, compassionate care programs donated medicinal cannabis and medicinal cannabis products to patients with a valid physician’s recommendation who need these products to treat their debilitating symptoms and heal.

(c) It is vital for the health and safety of vulnerable and low-income medicinal cannabis patients to keep them off the black market by allowing these compassionate care donations.

SEC. 3.

Section 26001 of the Business and Professions Code, as amended by Section 19 of Chapter 92 of the Statutes of 2018, is amended to read:

26001.

For purposes of this division, the following definitions apply:

(a) “A-license” means a state license issued under this division for cannabis or cannabis products that are intended for adults who are 21 years of age and older and who do not possess a physician’s recommendation.

(b) “A-licensee” means any person holding a license under this division for cannabis or cannabis products that are intended for adults who are 21 years of age and older and who do not possess a physician’s recommendation.

(d) “Batch” means a specific quantity of homogeneous cannabis or cannabis product that is one of the following types:

(1) Harvest batch. “Harvest batch” means a specifically identified quantity of dried flower or trim, leaves, and other cannabis plant matter that is uniform in strain, harvested at the same time, and, if applicable, cultivated using the same pesticides and other agricultural chemicals, and harvested at the same time.

(2) Manufactured cannabis batch. “Manufactured cannabis batch” means either of the following:

(A) An amount of cannabis concentrate or extract that is produced in one production cycle using the same extraction methods and standard operating procedures.

(B) An amount of a type of manufactured cannabis produced in one production cycle using the same formulation and standard operating procedures.

(e) “Bureau” means the Bureau of Cannabis Control within the Department of Consumer Affairs, formerly named the Bureau of Marijuana Control, the Bureau of Medical Cannabis Regulation, and the Bureau of Medical Marijuana Regulation.

(f) “Cannabis” means all parts of the plant Cannabis sativa Linnaeus, Cannabis indica, or Cannabis ruderalis, whether growing or not; the seeds thereof; the resin, whether crude or purified, extracted from any part of the plant; and every compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of the plant, its seeds, or resin. “Cannabis” also means the separated resin, whether crude or purified, obtained from cannabis. “Cannabis” does not include the mature stalks of the plant, fiber produced from the stalks, oil or cake made from the seeds of the plant, any other compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of the mature stalks (except the resin extracted therefrom), fiber, oil, or cake, or the sterilized seed of the plant which is incapable of germination. For the purpose of this division, “cannabis” does not mean “industrial hemp” as defined by Section 11018.5 of the Health and Safety Code.

(g) “Cannabis accessories” has the same meaning as in Section 11018.2 of the Health and Safety Code.

(h) “Cannabis concentrate” means cannabis that has undergone a process to concentrate one or more active cannabinoids, thereby increasing the product’s potency. Resin from granular trichomes from a cannabis plant is a concentrate for purposes of this division. A cannabis concentrate is not considered food, as defined by Section 109935 of the Health and Safety Code, or a drug, as defined by Section 109925 of the Health and Safety Code.

(i) “Cannabis products” has the same meaning as in Section 11018.1 of the Health and Safety Code.

(j) “Child resistant” means designed or constructed to be significantly difficult for children under five years of age to open, and not difficult for normal adults to use properly.

(k) “Commercial cannabis activity” includes the cultivation, possession, manufacture, distribution, processing, storing, laboratory testing, packaging, labeling, transportation, delivery, or sale of cannabis and cannabis products as provided for in this division.

(l) “Cultivation” means any activity involving the planting, growing, harvesting, drying, curing, grading, or trimming of cannabis.

(m) “Cultivation site” means a location where cannabis is planted, grown, harvested, dried, cured, graded, or trimmed, or a location where any combination of those activities occurs.

(n) “Customer” means a natural person 21 years of age or older or a natural person 18 years of age or older who possesses a physician’s recommendation, or a primary caregiver.

(o) “Day care center” has the same meaning as in Section 1596.76 of the Health and Safety Code.

(p) “Delivery” means the commercial transfer of cannabis or cannabis products to a customer. “Delivery” also includes the use by a retailer of any technology platform.

(q) “Director” means the Director of Consumer Affairs.

(r) “Distribution” means the procurement, sale, and transport of cannabis and cannabis products between licensees.

(s) “Dried flower” means all dead cannabis that has been harvested, dried, cured, or otherwise processed, excluding leaves and stems.

(t) “Edible cannabis product” means a cannabis product that is intended to be used, in whole or in part, for human consumption, including, but not limited to, chewing gum, but excluding products set forth in Division 15 (commencing with Section 32501) of the Food and Agricultural Code. An edible cannabis product is not considered food, as defined by Section 109935 of the Health and Safety Code, or a drug, as defined by Section 109925 of the Health and Safety Code.

(u) “Fund” means the Cannabis Control Fund established pursuant to Section 26210.

(v) “Kind” means applicable type or designation regarding a particular cannabis variant or cannabis product type, including, but not limited to, strain name or other grower trademark, or growing area designation.

(w) “Labeling” means any label or other written, printed, or graphic matter upon a cannabis product, upon its container or wrapper, or that accompanies any cannabis product.

(x) “Labor peace agreement” means an agreement between a licensee and any bona fide labor organization that, at a minimum, protects the state’s proprietary interests by prohibiting labor organizations and members from engaging in picketing, work stoppages, boycotts, and any other economic interference with the applicant’s business. This agreement means that the applicant has agreed not to disrupt efforts by the bona fide labor organization to communicate with, and attempt to organize and represent, the applicant’s employees. The agreement shall provide a bona fide labor organization access at reasonable times to areas in which the applicant’s employees work, for the purpose of meeting with employees to discuss their right to representation, employment rights under state law, and terms and conditions of employment. This type of agreement shall not mandate a particular method of election or certification of the bona fide labor organization.

(y) “License” means a state license issued under this division, and includes both an A-license and an M-license, as well as a testing laboratory license.

(z) “Licensee” means any person holding a license under this division, regardless of whether the license held is an A-license or an M-license, and includes the holder of a testing laboratory license.

(aa) “Licensing authority” means the state agency responsible for the issuance, renewal, or reinstatement of the license, or the state agency authorized to take disciplinary action against the licensee.

(ab) “Live plants” means living cannabis flowers and plants, including seeds, immature plants, and vegetative stage plants.

(ac) “Local jurisdiction” means a city, county, or city and county.

(ad) “Lot” means a batch or a specifically identified portion of a batch.

(ae) “M-license” means a state license issued under this division for commercial cannabis activity involving medicinal cannabis.

(af) “M-licensee” means any person holding a license under this division for commercial cannabis activity involving medicinal cannabis.

(ag) “Manufacture” means to compound, blend, extract, infuse, or otherwise make or prepare a cannabis product.

(ah) “Manufacturer” means a licensee that conducts the production, preparation, propagation, or compounding of cannabis or cannabis products either directly or indirectly or by extraction methods, or independently by means of chemical synthesis, or by a combination of extraction and chemical synthesis at a fixed location that packages or repackages cannabis or cannabis products or labels or relabels its container.

(ai) (1) “Medicinal cannabis” or “medicinal cannabis product” means cannabis or a cannabis product, respectively, intended to be sold or donated for use pursuant to the Compassionate Use Act of 1996 (Proposition 215), found in Section 11362.5 of the Health and Safety Code, by a medicinal cannabis patient in California who possesses a physician’s recommendation, or in compliance with any compassionate use, equity, or other similar program administered by a local jurisdiction.

(2) The amendments made to this subdivision by the act adding this paragraph shall become operative upon completion of the necessary changes to the track and trace program in order to implement the act adding this paragraph, as determined by the Department of Food and Agriculture, or on March 1, 2020, whichever occurs first.

(aj) “Nursery” means a licensee that produces only clones, immature plants, seeds, and other agricultural products used specifically for the propagation and cultivation of cannabis.

(ak) “Operation” means any act for which licensure is required under the provisions of this division, or any commercial transfer of cannabis or cannabis products.

(al) “Owner” means any of the following:

(1) A person with an aggregate ownership interest of 20 percent or more in the person applying for a license or a licensee, unless the interest is solely a security, lien, or encumbrance.

(2) The chief executive officer of a nonprofit or other entity.

(3) A member of the board of directors of a nonprofit.

(4) An individual who will be participating in the direction, control, or management of the person applying for a license.

(am) “Package” means any container or receptacle used for holding cannabis or cannabis products.

(an) “Person” includes any individual, firm, partnership, joint venture, association, corporation, limited liability company, estate, trust, business trust, receiver, syndicate, or any other group or combination acting as a unit, and the plural as well as the singular.

(ao) “Physician’s recommendation” means a recommendation by a physician and surgeon that a patient use cannabis provided in accordance with the Compassionate Use Act of 1996 (Proposition 215), found at Section 11362.5 of the Health and Safety Code.

(ap) “Premises” means the designated structure or structures and land specified in the application that is owned, leased, or otherwise held under the control of the applicant or licensee where the commercial cannabis activity will be or is conducted. The premises shall be a contiguous area and shall only be occupied by one licensee.

(aq) “Primary caregiver” has the same meaning as in Section 11362.7 of the Health and Safety Code.

(ar) “Purchaser” means the customer who is engaged in a transaction with a licensee for purposes of obtaining cannabis or cannabis products.

(as) “Sell,” “sale,” and “to sell” include any transaction whereby, for any consideration, title to cannabis or cannabis products is transferred from one person to another, and includes the delivery of cannabis or cannabis products pursuant to an order placed for the purchase of the same and soliciting or receiving an order for the same, but does not include the return of cannabis or cannabis products by a licensee to the licensee from whom the cannabis or cannabis product was purchased.

(at) “Testing laboratory” means a laboratory, facility, or entity in the state that offers or performs tests of cannabis or cannabis products and that is both of the following:

(1) Accredited by an accrediting body that is independent from all other persons involved in commercial cannabis activity in the state.

(2) Licensed by the bureau.

(au) “Unique identifier” means an alphanumeric code or designation used for reference to a specific plant on a licensed premises and any cannabis or cannabis product derived or manufactured from that plant.

(av) “Youth center” has the same meaning as in Section 11353.1 of the Health and Safety Code.

SEC. 3.5.

Section 26001 of the Business and Professions Code is amended to read: