Cannabis: legal services.

Existing law, the Control, Regulate and Tax Adult Use of Marijuana Act (AUMA) , an initiative measure enacted by the approval of Proposition 64 at the November 8, 2016, statewide general election, authorizes the consumption of nonmedical marijuana, also known as adult-use cannabis, by persons over 21 years of age and establishes a system for the licensure and regulation of certain commercial nonmedical marijuana activities. Existing law, the Medicinal and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act, expands and modifies this system to also include the licensure and regulation of certain commercial medicinal cannabis activities. Existing law prescribes the manner in which contracts may be created and requires that a contract be for a lawful object. Under existing law a contract that is contrary to an express provision of law, contrary to the policy of express law, or that is otherwise contrary to good morals is not lawful. This bill would provide that commercial activity relating to medicinal cannabis or adult-use cannabis conducted in compliance with state law and any applicable local standards and regulations is a lawful object of a contract, is not contrary to an express policy or provision of law or to good morals, and is not against public policy. Existing law grants a lawyer's client a privilege to refuse to disclose, and to prevent another from disclosing, a confidential communication between the client and lawyer, as defined, if the privilege is claimed by the holder of the privilege, a person who is authorized to claim the privilege by the holder, or the person who was the lawyer at the time of the confidential communication, as specified. Existing law excepts communications from the privilege if the services of the lawyer were sought or obtained to enable or aid anyone to commit, or plan to commit, a crime or fraud. This bill would provide that the above exception does not apply to legal services rendered in compliance with state or local laws on medicinal cannabis or adult-use cannabis and that confidential communications provided for the purpose of rendering those services are confidential communications, as specified.