California Cannabis Laws

Buying, Selling, and Giving

-If you are 21 or older, you can buy and possess up to one ounce (28.5 grams) of cannabis and up to eight grams of concentrated cannabis (separated resin, whether crude or purified, obtained from cannabis).

− You can only buy cannabis at retail outlets licensed by the California Bureau of Cannabis Control.

− Although you can legally possess cannabis, it is illegal for you to sell it without a license.

− You can give up to one ounce (28.5 grams) of cannabis and up to eight grams of concentrated cannabis to a person 21 or older, but you cannot receive money or any form of compensation.

Where You Can Use

-You can use cannabis on private property. But you cannot use, smoke, eat, or vape cannabis in public places and you cannot smoke cannabis or cannabis products in places where it is illegal to smoke tobacco.

-Property owners may ban the use and possession of cannabis on their privately owned properties.

-You cannot use cannabis within 1,000 feet of a school, day care center, or youth center while children are present.

-Even though cannabis is legal under California law, you cannot consume or possess cannabis on federal lands like national parks, even if the park is in California.9 The cultivation, possession, sale, and use of cannabis in California may remain unlawful under federal law

Drivers and Passengers

-If you are under the influence of cannabis while operating a car, boat, or other vehicle, a law enforcement officer can pull you over and conduct a sobriety test.

-Having an open container of cannabis in a vehicle while driving or riding in the passenger seat is against the law. If you have cannabis in a vehicle, it must be in an approved sealed package or container. Otherwise, it must be kept in the trunk of the vehicle.

-Keep it in California. It is illegal to take your cannabis across state lines, even if you are traveling to another state where cannabis is legal.