Assembly Member Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco) withdrew the bill fully aware that he did not have the votes needed to have it pass the committee. AB 2312 will not move forward in time to meet the policy committee deadline before members break for summer recess.

While AB 2312 is now considered dead, plans have been announced to hold an informational hearing at the end of the 2011-12 Legislative Session in order to bring stakeholders to the table and fully vet all aspects of this complex issue.

The League opposed AB 2312 for several reasons, including the preemption of local control and potential conflict with the California Supreme Court decisions on three cases reviewing regulation in light of federal, state, and local powers. In addition, federal law does not distinguish between medical and recreational use of marijuana. The provisions under AB 2312 could have placed public employees and local officials at risk of federal criminal prosecution.

The League thanks our members for their actions and responsiveness on this bill. The League’s success in lobbying against this bill was only possible due to the targeted letters and phone calls from city officials from across the state.