Take Action: Tell Gov. Newsom to Support the Cannabis Candy Child Safety Act (AB 1207)

AB 1207 is awaiting Gov. Newsom’s decision to either sign the bill into law or veto it! Make your voices heard! Urge the Governor to support The Cannabis Candy Child Safety Act! No one should go to jail for cannabis possession but no young child should be hauled from school in an ambulance because they mistakenly ate cannabis laced gummies or edibles either. Gov. Newsom has until October 14th to decide.

San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times Editorial: Halt cannabis industry’s disgraceful efforts to target children

July 8, 2023

OpEd in San Jose Mercury News: Cannabis industry is poisoning our kids just like tobacco has

“When California voters in 2016 supported the legalization and decriminalization of cannabis, we did not anticipate children would become collateral damage from an improperly regulated industry that prioritizes profit over children’s health…As a pediatrician, I urge the Senate and Gov. Gavin Newsom to place the priority of children’s health over cannabis industry profits and support this bill without watering down its effectiveness.”

Fact Sheet for AB 1207: Cannabis Product or Not?

California, along with the rest of the nation, is experiencing an explosion of children being rushed to emergency departments due to accidental ingestion/overconsumption of psychoactive cannabis products that often mimic some of their favorite brands of candy, soda, or snacks. Don’t believe us? Do you think a child could distinguish these cannabis products from the commonly sold ones or characters they are mimicking?

The Cannabis Candy Child Safety Act – Press Event News Coverage

Our gathering of doctors, public and medical health groups, youth advocates, and parents for a virtual press conference urging passage of The Cannabis Candy Child Safety Act (AB 1207 – Assemblymember Irwin) received press coverage from across the state and through every medium! Among the media highlights:

Why does California allow cannabis edibles that look like kids’ snacks?, Los Angeles Times
Keeping cannabis away from kids, Calmatters
California bill seeks to prevent cannabis product packaging from appealing to children, Fox 5, San Diego
California sees push to ban pot products that resemble candy, ABC 10, Sacramento
California lawmaker seeks to ban candy-like cannabis products, KNX Radio, Los Angeles

Fact Sheet: Cannabis Candy Child Safety Act (AB 1207)

Child exposure to and consumption of cannabis is neither necessary nor an acceptable by-product of a legal cannabis market. Our children, youth, parents and schools cannot afford the continued proliferation of cannabis products attractive to children. The Cannabis Candy Child Protection Act will honor the promise and intent of Prop 64 to keep cannabis and its products out of the hands and bodies of our children.

Support AB 1207 – The Cannabis Candy Child Safety Act!

As California’s legal cannabis market matures, exposure to cannabis marketing, and the range of cannabis products, have grown with it. Laws and regulations must also evolve alongside this new market to ensure the safety of our children and youth. Please join the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Public Health Institute and Youth Forward in supporting AB 1207 by signing our support letter!

Landmark California Cannabis Right to Know Bill Torpedoed by Industry Power

Getting it Right from the Start, August 22, 2022

“Today, even as cannabis use by youth once again hit an all-time high, the cannabis industry’s growing influence over legislation succeeded in preventing the public from accessing basic information about the health hazards of cannabis use and simple steps to use it more safely,” said Dr. Lynn Silver, pediatrician and Director of Getting it Right from the Start, at the Public Health Institute.

The Cannabis Right to Know Act Fact Sheet & Bill Language

SB 1097 (Senator Pan, Assemblymember McCarty), The Cannabis Right to Know Act, will provide accurate, visible, and science-based health and safer-use warning labels allowing Californians to recognize a legal product more easily and make informed decisions when purchasing cannabis. Check out our bill fact sheet and bill lanaguage:

• The SB 1097 Fact Sheet 
• The SB 1097 Current Bill Language 
• The SB 1097 Original Bill Language

SB 1097: Where’s the Warning Label?

Where’s The Warning Label?:  Current Cannabis information labels fail to protect or inform California Consumers. Don’t believe us? Can you find the required warning label on these commonly sold cannabis products?

SB 1097 and Rising Emergency Room Visits

Too many people are ending up in our Emergency Departments due to problems associated with using cannabis – especially when it is too strong or used too frequently. Fact Sheet: Rising Cannabis Related Emergency Room Visits

SB 1097: Costs and Benefits to Government

While we don’t know for certain the magnitude of the benefit in safer patterns of use for cannabis, even minuscule reductions in any of the major harms easily outweigh the extremely modest implementation costs of this bill, most already covered by existing required Proposition 64/MAUCRSA dedications.

California Leg Briefing for SB 1097 – The Cannabis Right to Know Act

Watch our recent California Leg briefing for SB1097 (Senator Pan, Assemblymember McCarty)– The #Cannabis Right to Know Act! Participants included Dr. Roneet Lev, MD – Emergency Medicine Physician at Scripps Mercy in San Diego, Dr. Lynn Silver MD, MPH – Pediatrician, Senior Advisor at the Public Health Institute, Douglas Fenton, MD, Obstetrician, Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas, American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology District IX, and Matthew Hirschtritt, MD, MPH, Psychiatrist, Kaiser Permanente.