By Dan Aiello
After postponing a hearing for a week to ensure he had the votes needed, Assemblyman Tom Ammiano appeared before his own Assembly Committee on Public Safety to successfully shepherd AB 2312, the Medical Marijuana Regulation and Control Act, through the panel.
The legislation, which would create the first statewide regulatory framework for the medical marijuana industry in California, passed with a simple majority, 4-2. It now heads to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
Ammiano introduced AB 2312 in response to a months-long federal crackdown on California medical marijuana dispensaries and some growers that began last fall. The bill’s language addresses the concerns of the feds as expressed by U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California Melinda Haag, in a meeting she had with Ammiano earlier this year, as well as the recommendations of state Attorney General Kamala Harris.