By Shelby Huffaker, MPH | Chair, San Diego Americans for Safe Access
Taxes, hemp, and delivery, oh my! Learn more about the California cannabis bills that passed — and failed — in 2025.
California Assembly Bills
Expands the definition of cannabis to include all products containing natural and synthetic cannabinoids (excluding CBD isolate and FDA-approved cannabinoid products), subjecting such products to the same regulatory requirements as cannabis (including — but not limited to — laboratory testing, taxes, track-and-trace requirements, etc.). Inhalable hemp products, including hemp pre-rolls and hemp flower intended for consumption, are prohibited. While cannabis retailers are permitted to sell manufactured cannabinoid products that meet state requirements, tobacco/cigarette retailers are prohibited from selling any form of cannabis or cannabinoid product, except for CBD isolate.
AB-564 Cannabis: excise tax: rate increase repeal.
Delays the requirement that the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration adjust the cannabis excise tax rate every two years to account for losses caused by discontinuation of the state cultivation tax, temporarily freezing the cannabis excise tax at 15% until the 2030-2031 fiscal year, after which the tax would be capped at 19%. Additionally, detailed performance indicators and data collection requirements will be established to determine efficacy of the bill’s specific goal of providing “immediate tax relief to the cannabis industry.”
ASA’S POSITION: Endorse.
AB-1103 Controlled substances: research.
Revises state law to require the Research Advisory Panel to review research projects involving Schedule I (e.g., cannabis) and Schedule II (e.g., psilocybin) controlled substances. Additionally, the Panel would be required to expedite the review of research projects that meet certain criteria, including those that have sought or received federal approval(s) and have undergone independent peer review, until 2028.
California Senate Bills
SB-378 Online marketplaces: illicit cannabis: reporting and liability.
Regulates online marketplaces involved with cannabis and hemp products, particularly in relation to unlicensed sellers. Establishes a whistle-blowing mechanism for unlicensed sellers.
Failed Bills
AB-762: Disposable, battery-embedded vapor inhalation device: prohibition.
Would have banned disposable vape pens (both nicotine and cannabis).
AB-1332 Medicinal cannabis: shipments.
Would have permitted licensed medicinal micro-businesses to ship certain medicinal cannabis products directly to patients across all local jurisdictions within the state. Additionally, patients would have been eligible to receive donated medicinal cannabis products free of charge via shipment.
