By Shaun Rundle, Legislative & Region Affairs Representative.
When the Legislature returns from summer recess on August 21st, one of the first bills they will hear will be AB 1090. Authored by Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham (R-San Luis Obispo), the bill responds to Prop 64 by setting some restrictions on cannabis possession and ingestion on school grounds. CPOA has strongly supported the measure, and testified in the Assembly Appropriations Committee on the AB 1090’s public safety benefits. It has not received a single “no” vote thus far, and will be heard in Senate Appropriations Committee on the 21st.
Legislators have made various attempts in 2017 to provide legislative fixes to Prop 64, as several public safety issues were neglected in the proposal that voters passed last November. These attempts include topics of cannabis product packaging, advertising to youth, and cannabis regulatory structures.
AB 1090 serves as one of the most straightforward health and public safety responses yet. Prop 64 prohibits possessing, smoking, ingesting cannabis or its products on the grounds of a school, but only when children are present. AB 1090 alters this by prohibiting the above actions regardless of whether children are present. By not allowing consumption or possession even during non-school hours, Mr. Cunningham’s bill provides for safeguards against marijuana paraphernalia or burnt residue from being found by administration or even worse, young students and youth center participants. I have conveyed these sentiments while testifying in support of the bill as it has been heard thus far.
When the bill is heard on August 21st in Senate Appropriations Committee, fiscal impacts will be discussed, although the Department of Finance notes that few impacts are to be expected. AB 1090 is also supported by Cal Chiefs and the CA District Attorneys Association.