California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 2188 (AB 2188) into law on September 18, 2022. AB 2188 will amend the state’s employment anti-discrimination law, the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), and make it an unlawful practice for an employer to discriminate against an adult applicant or employee based upon the “person’s use of cannabis off the job and away from the workplace.” The new law will take effect on January 1, 2024.

California joins several other states, including New York and New Jersey, that have adopted protections for applicants’ and/or employees’ off-duty cannabis use.

For more details, read the Perkins Coie Update.

To receive updates like this via email, subscribe here (and make sure to check the box for “Cannabis Law”).