California’s New Child Welfare Act Goes into Effect – Here’s What Weed Parents Need to Know

Through Johanna Skopl

Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a bill providing for social workers appointed to investigate children’s well-being to treat parental cannabis use the same way they treat alcohol.

However, MP Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D), who supported the legislation, said in a summary of the bill that “cannabis use alone should not be a basis for government interference in family life”.

“As with alcohol and prescription drugs, parents and guardians should be allowed to safely and legally use cannabis without fear of their children being permanently removed from their care, provided there are no other concerns about the child’s safety.” , Jones-Sawyer added.

Photo by Kindel Media via Pexels

What is the law about?

Under the legislation, the state Department of Social Services (DSS) is required to update “all regulations, statewide letters and other directives regarding the investigation of a minor” to state that “when a social worker investigates a suspected case of child abuse or neglect, use or possession of cannabis by a parent or guardian is treated in the same way as use or possession of alcohol and prescribed medications by a parent or guardian.”

RELATED: Here is the cannabis legislation that will become law in California

Meanwhile, California’s NORML, which has defended the rights of marijuana smokers since 1972, mentioned the passage of the new law in a tweet.

Last year, the New Jersey Supreme Court, Appellate Division, ruled that a parent’s recreational cannabis use cannot be sufficient as a sole or primary ground for termination of that parent’s rights — unless the Child Protection and Durability Division (Division) proves case-specific Evidence that marijuana use endangers the child’s health, safety, or welfare.

Cannabis developments in California

Newsom recently signed two more marijuana laws into law. One of them amends an existing law that allows registered patients to use MMJ products in hospitals, while the other law protects medical cannabis patients from healthcare discrimination, Marijuana Moment reported.

Among the measures awaiting Newsom signature are legislation that would offer job protections to people who use cannabis outside of work. The proposed law, which will pass through both houses of the Legislature, would ban people from losing their jobs for smoking marijuana outside of work. In particular, it would prohibit companies from penalizing those who fail a certain type of drug test.

RELATED: Legalizing weed reduces foster care by that much, new study finds

Newsom has until the end of September to decide whether to sign the law. If signed, the law would go into effect on January 1, 2024, and California would become the seventh state in the United States to protect employees who smoke marijuana around the clock.

This article originally appeared on Benzinga and has been republished with permission.