Jim Araby, Executive Director of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Western States Council, has issued the following statement on the Assembly Business and Professions Committee’s 13-0 passage of AB 26 by Assembly Member Reggie Jones-Sawyer. The UFCW is the only union representing cannabis workers in California.
“AB 26 does something our union has advocated for years: creates a state-certified training program for cannabis workers. For patients, these standards will help ensure they get the products they paid for, that these products are safe, and that they will have someone who can answer their questions.
“Last year, the state of California began the process of ending the ‘Wild West’ era of cannabis in our state with a trio of bills to finally regulate this industry, two decades after Proposition 215. Today marks another step in the process, and also shows that Assembly Member Jones-Sawyer continues to be a leader on this issue.
“As state voters look at legalizing recreational cannabis in 2016, this important bill could not come at a better time.
“AB 26 will help ensure the rights of workers are protected, health and safety standards are maintained, and ongoing product knowledge and skills development are sustained with consistency throughout the cannabis industry similar to pharmacy laboratory technicians, nurse and dental assistants, and cosmetologists.”
Source: UCFW press release
