Medical marijuana.

(1) Existing law, the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, an initiative measure enacted by the approval of Proposition 215 at the November 6, 1996, statewide general election, authorizes the use of marijuana for medical purposes. Existing law enacted by the Legislature requires the establishment of a program for the issuance of identification cards to qualified patients so that they may lawfully use marijuana for medical purposes, and requires the establishment of guidelines for the lawful cultivation of marijuana grown for medical use. Existing law provides for the licensure of various professions by the Department of Consumer Affairs. Existing law, the Sherman Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Law, provides for the regulation of food, drugs, devices, and cosmetics, as specified. A violation of that law is a crime. This bill would establish within the Department of Consumer Affairs a Bureau of Medical Marijuana Regulation, under the supervision and control of the Chief of the Bureau of Medical Marijuana Regulation, as specified, to license dispensing facilities, cultivation sites, and manufacturers that, among other things, provide, process, and grow medical marijuana, as specified, subject to local ordinances. The bill would require every city, county, or city and county that permits medical marijuana dispensing or cultivation to submit to the bureau a list of approved entities providing medical marijuana within that jurisdiction. The bill would require the bureau to adopt regulations for the implementation and enforcement of these provisions, specifically relating to procedures for licensing, fees for licenses, and sanitation. The bill would require a background check of applicants for licensure to be administered by the Department of Justice, and submission of a statement signed by an applicant, under penalty of perjury, that the information on his or her application is true, thereby creating a crime and imposing a state-mandated local program. The bill would make these licenses subject to the restrictions of the local jurisdiction in which the facility operates or proposes to operate. The bill would, among other things, require licensees to implement sufficient security measures to both deter and prevent unauthorized entrance into areas containing marijuana and theft of marijuana at their facilities, including establishing limited access areas accessible only to authorized facility personnel, and would require these licensees to notify appropriate law enforcement authorities within 24 hours after discovering specified breaches in security. The bill would set forth provisions related to the transportation, testing, and distribution of medical marijuana. The bill would set forth provisions for the revocation or suspension of a license for a violation of these provisions or of local ordinances. The bill would prohibit the distribution of any form of advertising for physician recommendations for medical marijuana, unless the advertisement bears a specified notice and requires that the advertisement meet specified requirements and not be fraudulent, deceitful, or misleading, as specified. Violation of these provisions would be punishable by a civil fine of up to $35,000 for each individual violation, or as otherwise specified. The bill would establish the Medical Marijuana Regulation Fund and would require the deposit of fees collected pursuant to this act into the fund. The bill would continuously appropriate moneys from the fund to the bureau for the purposes of administering this act, thereby making an appropriation. The bill would require the deposit of penalty moneys collected pursuant to this act into the General Fund. The bill would provide that it shall not supersede provisions of Measure D, as approved by the voters of the City of Los Angeles, as specified. The bill would authorize a city, county, or city and county to administer and enforce these provisions. The bill would require the bureau to establish quality assurance protocols by July 1, 2016, to ensure uniform testing standards of medical marijuana, and would require licensees to comply with these provisions. The bill would further set forth provisions regulating edible medical marijuana products, as specified. By adding these provisions to the Sherman Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Law, a violation of which is a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) Existing law, the Medical Practice Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of physicians and surgeons by the Medical Board of California. Existing law requires the board to prioritize investigations and prosecutions of physicians and surgeons representing the greatest threat of harm, as specified. Existing law identifies the cases that are to be given priority, which include cases of repeated acts of excessively prescribing, furnishing, or administering controlled substances without a good faith prior examination of the patient. Existing law provides that a violation of the Medical Practice Act is a crime. This bill would require the board to consult with the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research on developing and adopting medical guidelines for the appropriate administration and use of marijuana. The bill would also make it a misdemeanor for a physician and surgeon who recommends marijuana to a patient for a medical purpose to accept, solicit, or offer any remuneration from or to a licensed dispensing facility in which the physician and surgeon or his or her immediate family has a financial interest. By creating a new crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would provide that specified acts of recommending marijuana for medical purposes without a good faith examination are among the types of cases that should be given priority for investigation and prosecution by the board, as described above. The bill would further prohibit a physician and surgeon from recommending medical marijuana to a patient unless that person is the patient's attending physician, as defined. Because a violation of that provision would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (3) Existing law authorizes the legislative body of a city or county to impose various taxes, including a transactions and use tax at a rate of 0.25%, or a multiple thereof, if approved by the required vote of the legislative body and the required vote of qualified voters, and limits the combined rate of transactions and use taxes within a city or county to 2%. This bill would authorize the board of supervisors of a county to impose a tax on the privilege of cultivating, dispensing, producing, processing, preparing, storing, providing, donating, selling, or distributing marijuana or products containing marijuana. The bill would authorize the tax to be imposed for either general or specific governmental purposes. The bill would require a tax imposed pursuant to this authority to be subject to any applicable voter approval requirement. (4) Existing law exempts qualified patients, persons with valid identification cards, and the designated primary caregivers of qualified patients and persons with identification cards from certain crimes, including possession of concentrated cannabis and marijuana, cultivation of marijuana, and possession of marijuana for sale. This bill would also exempt from those crimes an employee, officer, or board member of a licensed cultivation site or a licensed dispensing facility, except as specified. (5) This bill would provide that its provisions are severable. (6) Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect. (7) 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.