Both law-abiding citizens and wanton criminals have extra homework to do as the new year of 2018 in California comes with a bevy of new laws and lessons covering cannabis use, gun ammunition, minimum wages, school lunch ‘shaming,’ how to use a crosswalk and many others.
Most of the attention has been on California’s repeal of most marijuana prohibition statutes. But there’s also big news about the state’s minimum wage increasing to $10.50 an hour ($11 for employers with 26 or more employees) and California’s declaration as a “sanctuary state” that limits local law enforcement’s cooperation with federal immigration authorities and orders.
Among other new laws, homeowners must now provide extra safety barriers around swimming pools, and eldercare facilities can no longer discriminate against LGBT people.
Prop. 63, approved by voters last year, requires people who buy out-of-state ammunition to ship it in-state to a licensed gun dealer and not directly to themselves.
High school students, teachers and probably many others are rejoicing that California’s high school exit exam has been eliminated beginning in 2018. Also at schools, students with lapsed school lunch payments can no longer be denied service, previously called “school lunch shaming.”
Most tour-bus operators must now install and provide passenger seat belts. Livestock owners cannot administer antibiotics to their animals without a veterinarian prescription or approval.
A new law that covers everyone involves using a controlled crosswalk. Pedestrians now have the right to enter a crosswalk while a warning is still flashing a time signal, allowing extra time to cross the street and a need for motorists to wage extra patience. Theoretically, pedestrians must clear the crosswalk before the warning signal flashes ‘zero.’
With so many new laws to follow, no wonder some people may want to resort to a relaxing puff of a marijuana joint.
But, not so fast. Prop. 64 that allows for adult recreational use of cannabis has many, many restrictions.
Employers can still ban employee use and can test for traces of marijuana in workers’ blood tests. Daily purchase limits are placed on both loose flower and edible forms of cannabis. By one estimate, the daily allowance equals eight joints.
All cannabis must be purchased at licensed establishments and never between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Cannabis purchasers must show valid drivers’ licenses—and whether you call it pot, cannabis, weed or marijuana, none of it can be consumed on public property.
Also, imbibers need to check with their landlords who have the authority to ban cannabis use from their properties.
Be prepared to pay in cash for any cannabis products because everything related to the plant and drug is still against federal law.
One thing Prop. 64 overlooked was cannabis use while driving a car, so Senate Bill 65 had to be quickly enacted which outlaws consumption or open-container possession of any pot products in a vehicle.
Remember when California’s gas tax went up 12 cents a gallon in November? Well, as part of the same SB1 law, vehicle registration fees will increase in 2018 from $25 to $175, depending on a vehicle’s value.
In 2019, California’s minimum wage will increase to $12 per hour and will increase again in 2022 to $15 per hour. And, by then, who knows how many dozens of other new laws we’ll all have to study, abide or try not to break.
