Published May 4, 2026 | The Law Office of Shay Aaron Gilmore
Earlier this year, this blog covered more than a dozen cannabis and hemp bills introduced in the 2026 California Legislative Session. The 2026 session convened on January 5, 2026, and is scheduled to adjourn on August 31, 2026. Now that a major legislative checkpoint has passed — the Assembly Appropriations Committee’s spring suspense hearings — it is the right moment to take stock of where each bill stands, which ones are most consequential for California cannabis retailers and dispensaries, and what operators should be watching closely heading into the summer.
Why This Moment Matters
The bulk of the active bills discussed below have cleared their first policy committees and have been referred to the Assembly Committee on Appropriations — the fiscal gatekeeper through which nearly all bills with a state cost must pass before heading to a floor vote. Bills surviving Appropriations will proceed to Assembly floor votes, and then to the Senate side of the building. The session deadline of August 31 means the window for meaningful legislative action is narrowing. Operators, investors, and compliance teams should be monitoring these bills closely, as the policies they establish will directly govern how California dispensaries operate, what products they can sell, and how the Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) enforces the law against them.
I. Enforcement, Compliance & Due Process
AB 1826 (Lackey) — Cannabis: Recall, Embargo, and Destruction of Cannabis Products
Bill Text: leginfo.legislature.ca.gov – AB 1826
Current Status: Passed Assembly Business & Professions and Judiciary Committees. Referred to Assembly Appropriations. Last action: April 22, 2026 — Do pass and re-refer to Appropriations.
What It Does: AB 1826 directly addresses one of the most significant due process gaps in the DCC’s current enforcement toolkit: the recall and embargo process. Under existing law, when the DCC notifies a licensee that a product is adulterated, misbranded, or subject to embargo, it can act without first providing the licensee with the underlying documentation supporting that determination. AB 1826 would require the DCC to include supporting documentation — lab data, chain of custody — with any adulteration or misbranding notice before issuing a recall or embargo tag. Before a voluntary recall proceeds, the DCC would be required to offer the licensee a meet-and-confer within five business days of notification. Additionally, the bill would prohibit the DCC from requiring a licensee to waive their rights to an informal meeting, administrative hearing, or judicial appeal as a condition of lifting an embargo tag or approving a corrective action plan. AB 1826 would require the DCC to “work diligently” toward a final decision and remove embargo tags within 24 hours if the product is found compliant.
Sponsorship & Support: Sponsored by the California Cannabis Industry Association (CCIA). Cal NORML has joined a sign-on letter in support.
AB 2537 (Chen) — Cannabis Enforcement Accountability and Public Health Prioritization Act of 2026
Bill Text: leginfo.legislature.ca.gov – AB 2537
Current Status: Passed Assembly Business & Professions Committee unanimously, 19–0, on April 14, 2026. Referred to Assembly Appropriations. Last action: April 16, 2026 — Re-referred to Appropriations.
What It Does: AB 2537 requires the DCC to adopt and publish an enforcement prioritization policy that ranks enforcement actions by risk of harm — defined as conduct, practices, or conditions reasonably expected to interfere with enforcement of state law, involve false or deceptive business practices, or adversely affect the public or the environment. Crucially, the bill would prohibit minor technical or administrative violations from being the sole basis for major disciplinary actions, including license suspension or revocation. The DCC would also be required to include in its annual report the geographic distribution and number of enforcement actions, as well as its enforcement prioritization methodology.
Sponsorship: Sponsored by the California Cannabis Operators Association (CaCOA).
II. Product Standards, Labeling & Packaging
AB 2532 (Irwin) — Cannabis: Labels, Packaging, and Manufacturing (Cannabis Beverages)
Bill Text: leginfo.legislature.ca.gov – AB 2532
Current Status: Passed Assembly Business & Professions Committee, as amended, on April 14, 2026 (Ayes 17, Noes 0). Re-referred to Assembly Appropriations on April 16, 2026.
What It Does — and What Changed: AB 2532 generated more controversy than any other bill in the 2026 session. As originally introduced, it would have capped the total THC content of cannabis beverage containers at 10 milligrams per package — a limit that industry analysts argued would have effectively eliminated 93% of California’s legal cannabis beverage market, including the dominant 100mg format that alone accounts for an estimated $66 million in annual dispensary sales. A broad coalition of California cannabis operators, trade associations, and supply chain companies formally opposed the bill as written, warning that the proposed cap would reduce the viable cannabis beverage market from approximately $79 million down to $5 million.
Following sustained industry opposition, the bill was amended prior to its committee vote. According to Cal NORML, the April 2026 amendments removed the 10mg per-package cap on beverages, substituting a package of beverage-specific requirements including industry-wide precision dosing and product identification features on all multi-serving cannabis beverages, warning label standards, child-resistant container requirements, a prohibition on single-serve marketing, and support for a funded statewide campaign on responsible, informed cannabis beverage consumption. Cal NORML has taken a neutral position on the amended bill.
Support & Opposition: Prior to amendment, a broad coalition of California cannabis operators and trade associations formally opposed the original 10mg cap version. Following amendments, Cal NORML moved to neutral. No organized opposition to the amended version has been reported.
AB 2249 (Irwin) — Cannabis: Labels, Packaging, and Manufacturing (Child-Attractive Prohibition)
Bill Text: leginfo.legislature.ca.gov – AB 2249
Current Status: Passed Assembly Business & Professions Committee with amendments. Referred to Assembly Appropriations.
What It Does: AB 2249 prohibits the sale, distribution, or manufacture of cannabis products, packaging, or labeling that is “attractive to children.” The bill would require the DCC to develop a standardized rubric for determining what constitutes child-attractive cannabis packaging or labeling by July 1, 2027, and would establish a voluntary written-determination process allowing licensees to pre-clear packaging designs before bringing them to market. The DCC may establish a fee for this determination process.
Support & Opposition: Public health advocates and groups focused on youth protection have backed the bill’s intent. CaCOA testified in respectful opposition, raising concerns about DCC rulemaking burdens and industry compliance costs.
AB 1965 (Sharp-Collins) — Cannabis: Testing: Quality Assurance
Bill Text: leginfo.legislature.ca.gov – AB 1965
Current Status: Passed unanimously in Assembly Business & Professions Committee. Referred to Assembly Appropriations with recommendation to Consent Calendar.
What It Does: AB 1965 specifies that all cannabis and cannabis products are subject to testing or retesting and revises the circumstances under which a testing laboratory may retest a sample without prior DCC authorization. The bill strengthens quality assurance standards and clarifies the procedures for amending or correcting a certificate of analysis.
Support: Cal NORML has sent a letter in support.
III. Retail Operations & Consumer Access
AB 2697 (Pellerin) — Cannabis: Drive-Throughs
Bill Text: leginfo.legislature.ca.gov – AB 2697
Current Status: Passed Assembly Business & Professions Committee (Ayes 17, Noes 2) on April 21, 2026. Re-referred to Assembly Appropriations.
What It Does: AB 2697 would authorize local jurisdictions to allow a licensed cannabis retailer to conduct sales or deliveries through a drive-through window, pass-out window, or slide-out tray, provided the sales are made through a fixed-pane security window with a security drawer that is part of a building located within the licensed premises. The bill explicitly requires local opt-in — it does not mandate drive-throughs statewide, and it excludes licensees that conduct retail sales exclusively through delivery or that do not maintain a premises open to the public.
Support & Opposition: No formal sponsoring organization has been identified. The bill passed committee on a 17–2 vote, suggesting broad bipartisan support. No organized opposition has been reported.
AB 2420 (Caloza) — Cannabis: Donations to Seniors
Bill Text: leginfo.legislature.ca.gov – AB 2420
Current Status: A hearing scheduled for April 14, 2026 in Assembly Business & Professions was cancelled at the request of the author. The bill remains active.
What It Does: AB 2420 would authorize licensed cannabis retailers to donate cannabis or cannabis products to persons 65 years of age or older and would provide an excise tax exemption for cannabis donated to seniors. The bill expands on the existing medicinal cannabis donation framework — which is currently limited to patients with medical recommendations — to cover all seniors regardless of medical status.
Support: Cal NORML supports the bill.
AB 2506 (Hart) — Cannabis: Tribal Government Licensure
Bill Text: leginfo.legislature.ca.gov – AB 2506
Current Status: Passed Assembly Business & Professions Committee unanimously with amendments. Referred to Assembly Appropriations. Last action: April 9, 2026.
What It Does: AB 2506 would authorize state-licensed cannabis businesses to engage in commercial cannabis activity with tribally licensed operators, provided the DCC certifies that the relevant tribal government’s regulatory requirements meet or exceed state standards. The certification criteria include public health and safety standards, a seed-to-sale tracking system identical to the state’s system, testing standards, packaging and labeling requirements, quality assurance protocols, marketing restrictions, and procedures for identifying and destroying adulterated or misbranded products. Critically, the bill does not include a tax parity provision — tribal cannabis sales may remain tax-free, raising competitive concerns from some industry groups.
Support & Opposition: No formal sponsoring organization has been publicly identified. The absence of a tax parity provision has drawn concern from some licensed operators and trade groups who view tax-free tribal competition as an unlevel playing field.
IV. Hemp Integration & Product Regulation
AB 2250 (Aguiar-Curry) — Cannabis: Cannabinoids (CBN Fix to AB 8)
Bill Text: leginfo.legislature.ca.gov – AB 2250
Current Status: Passed Assembly Business & Professions and Revenue & Taxation Committees. In Assembly Appropriations. Last action: April 21, 2026 — Do pass and re-refer to Appropriations (Ayes 7, Noes 0).
What It Does: AB 8 (2025), the landmark hemp integration law that took effect January 1, 2026, excluded CBD isolate from the definition of “cannabis concentrate” under the California Uniform Controlled Substances Act — but omitted CBN (cannabinol) isolate from the same exclusion. AB 2250, effective January 1, 2028, would correct that omission by also excluding CBN isolate from the definition of cannabis concentrate, consistent with the legislature’s intent to treat CBD and CBN similarly when used as pure isolates in hemp products. The bill also makes organizational and clarifying changes to the Cannabis Tax Law’s burden-shifting presumption provisions added by AB 8.
Support & Opposition: AB 2250 is a technical cleanup bill with no reported opposition. It passed both policy committees unanimously.
V. Public Health, Youth Access & Vape Products
AB 2667 (Hadwick) — Vape Products: Household Hazardous Waste and Advertising
Bill Text: leginfo.legislature.ca.gov – AB 2667
Current Status: Passed Assembly Committees on Environmental Safety & Toxic Materials, Budget, and Business & Professions. Referred to Assembly Appropriations. Last action: April 22, 2026.
What It Does: AB 2667 would prohibit cannabis (and nicotine) vape products from using branding that appeals to minors, from being packaged in a way that conceals the nature of their use, or from including interactive video game capabilities. The bill would also authorize local household hazardous waste collection facilities to mechanically disassemble vape pens and devices for proper disposal.
Support: Cal NORML has taken a “support if amended” position.
AB 762 (Irwin and Wilson) — Disposable, Battery-Embedded Vapor Inhalation Device: Prohibition
Bill Text: leginfo.legislature.ca.gov – AB 762
Current Status: Active, 2025–2026 session. First hearing was set but cancelled at the request of the author in 2025. Recent amendments updated the effective dates.
What It Does: AB 762 would prohibit the importation or manufacture for sale of new or refurbished disposable, battery-embedded vapor inhalation devices beginning January 1, 2027, and would prohibit the sale, distribution, or offering for sale of such devices beginning January 1, 2028. Because California law already prohibits refillable cannabis vapes, the bill would effectively eliminate the entire disposable cannabis vape category — which represents a substantial portion of vape revenue in licensed dispensaries.
Sponsorship & Opposition: Co-sponsored by the California Product Stewardship Council, Californians Against Waste, CALPIRG, and RethinkWaste. The California Cannabis Operators Association (CaCOA) has formally opposed the bill, arguing it would devastate the licensed cannabis vape market without providing any consumer alternative.
VI. Research & Medical Access
AB 2489 (Lowenthal) — Controlled Substances: Research (California Veterans Right to Try Act)
Bill Text: leginfo.legislature.ca.gov – AB 2489
Current Status: Passed Assembly Business & Professions Committee. In Assembly Appropriations — placed on suspense file as of April 29, 2026.
What It Does: AB 2489, the California Veterans Right to Try Act, would authorize the Research Advisory Panel to submit an investigational new drug (IND) application to the FDA requesting approval for a clinical trial involving Schedule I or Schedule II controlled substances, including cannabis. If the FDA fails to timely approve the application, the bill would authorize the Panel to provide expedited state-level approval of the research project, subject to independent peer review for scientific merit. The bill currently extends through January 1, 2032.
Support & Opposition: No formal sponsoring organization has been publicly identified beyond the author’s office. The bill’s placement on the Appropriations suspense file indicates it carries a notable state fiscal cost, which may complicate its path forward.
VII. A Bill that Changed Course
AB 1564 (Ahrens) — Medicinal Cannabis: Direct Shipment
Bill Text: leginfo.legislature.ca.gov – AB 1564
Current Status: Cannabis language removed from the bill as of February 26, 2026. The bill no longer addresses cannabis direct shipment.
Background: AB 1564 was introduced by Assemblymember Patrick Ahrens in January 2026 to authorize licensed cannabis microbusinesses to directly ship medicinal cannabis to patients anywhere in California — re-introducing the substance of AB 1332, which Governor Newsom vetoed in October 2025. However, following opposition from some cannabis industry stakeholders concerned about the broader implications of direct shipping, the cannabis language was erased from the bill. This marks the second consecutive session in which the direct medical cannabis shipment concept has failed to advance.
Summary Table: Active Bills & Current Status
| Bill | Author | Topic | Status (as of May 3, 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| AB 762 | Irwin/Wilson | Disposable vape ban | Active; hearing previously cancelled |
| AB 1826 | Lackey | DCC recall/embargo due process | In Assembly Appropriations |
| AB 1965 | Sharp-Collins | Cannabis testing/QA | In Assembly Appropriations (Consent) |
| AB 2249 | Irwin | Child-attractive packaging | In Assembly Appropriations |
| AB 2250 | Aguiar-Curry | CBN isolate / AB 8 fix | In Assembly Appropriations |
| AB 2420 | Caloza | Donations to seniors | Hearing cancelled; still active |
| AB 2489 | Lowenthal | Cannabis research (veterans) | In Appropriations (suspense) |
| AB 2506 | Hart | Tribal cannabis licensure | In Assembly Appropriations |
| AB 2532 | Irwin | Beverage labeling/packaging | In Assembly Appropriations |
| AB 2537 | Chen | DCC risk-based enforcement | In Assembly Appropriations |
| AB 2667 | Hadwick | Vape advertising/packaging | In Assembly Appropriations |
| AB 2697 | Pellerin | Cannabis drive-throughs | In Assembly Appropriations |
A Noteworthy Absence: No Active Senate Cannabis Bills in 2026
As of May 3, 2026, there are no active California Senate bills addressing cannabis or hemp in the second year of the 2025–2026 legislative session. Every bill tracked in this update is an Assembly measure.
That is not coincidental — it reflects the natural rhythm of California’s two-year legislative cycle. In the first year of each cycle (2025), bills are introduced in both chambers and must pass their house of origin by the end-of-year deadline. In the second year (2026), bills that cleared their house of origin carry over, while the practical window for introducing and advancing an entirely new Senate bill has effectively closed. The major Senate-originated cannabis bills of this cycle — primarily SB 378 (Wiener) on illicit online marketplace liability — were passed and signed into law in October 2025.
The result is that the entire arc of California cannabis policy for 2026 is being authored, shaped, and debated exclusively in the Assembly. Any Senator wishing to weigh in on cannabis legislation this year will need to do so by amending Assembly-passed bills when they arrive in the Senate — not by carrying their own.
The DCC Rulemaking Backdrop: Multipacks
Beyond the legislature, the DCC published a proposed rulemaking action (DCC-2026-01-R) in February 2026 that would establish a new category of cannabis goods: multipacks. Under current law, licensed cannabis retailers cannot package and sell products originating from different harvest batches or manufacturing runs in a single package. The proposed regulations would allow multipack products containing up to three separate batches, with specific track-and-trace, testing, labeling, and per-serving and per-package limit requirements. The public comment period closed April 13, 2026, and a virtual public hearing was held April 14, 2026. This rulemaking is separate from the legislative process but directly affects how dispensaries can present bundled or variety products to consumers.
What to Watch Next
The next 30 days are the most consequential of the 2026 legislative session for cannabis operators. Here is the sequence of deadlines that will determine which bills ultimately reach Governor Newsom’s desk:
May 6 — Assembly Appropriations Committee Regular Hearing. The Assembly Appropriations Committee has a hearing scheduled for May 6, 2026. Most of the cannabis bills covered in this post are on the committee’s active docket. This is the last regular-order hearing opportunity before the suspense deadline.
May 15 — Last Day for Fiscal Committees to Report Bills to the Floor. Under the 2026 Legislative Calendar, May 15 is the hard deadline for the Assembly Appropriations Committee to hear and report to the Floor any bills introduced in the Assembly this year. Bills that are not reported out of Appropriations by May 15 are dead for the session — unless revived through a gut-and-amend maneuver later in the year. This is the single most important date for every cannabis bill currently sitting in Appropriations.
May 29 — Last Day for the Assembly to Pass Its Own Bills. Any cannabis bill that clears Appropriations by May 15 must then pass a full Assembly floor vote by May 29. Bills that survive will be sent to the Senate for committee assignment and hearings over the summer.
July 2 — Last Day for Senate Policy Committees to Meet and Report Bills. Bills that arrive in the Senate after Memorial Day will be assigned to Senate policy committees — most likely the Senate Business, Professions & Economic Development Committee for cannabis-related measures. Those committees must act by July 2.
August 14 — Last Day for Senate Fiscal Committees to Report Bills to the Floor. Bills with a fiscal impact in the Senate must clear the Senate Appropriations Committee by August 14. A second suspense file hearing — this one in the Senate — will determine which Assembly-passed cannabis bills make it to the Senate floor.
August 31 — Final Legislative Deadline. The California Constitution requires the Legislature to pass all bills by August 31. Bills not passed by both chambers on or before this date die, and the Governor has until September 30 to sign or veto everything that does pass.
The Bottom Line: For California cannabis retailers and dispensaries, the practical fate of this legislative session is largely determined by mid-May. The combination of AB 2532’s beverage labeling overhaul, AB 1826’s due process reforms, AB 2537’s enforcement prioritization mandate, and AB 762’s potential vape product ban represents the most significant cluster of operational legislation to emerge since AB 8 took effect on January 1, 2026. Operators who want to weigh in still have a narrow window to contact their Assembly representatives or engage through their trade association before the May 15 cutoff.
The Law Office of Shay Aaron Gilmore advises cannabis and hemp operators and investors across California on regulatory compliance, commercial transactions, corporate law, and administrative proceedings. For a consultation regarding how any of these bills may affect your business, contact the firm at shaygilmorelaw.com or call 415-846-6397.