Bill > AB2249

This bill builds upon California’s existing cannabis laws—specifically the Medicinal and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act, which regulates the state's commercial cannabis market under the Department of Cannabis Control—by establishing a clear, official definition for what makes cannabis packaging, labeling, or advertising "attractive to children" starting January 1, 2028. To protect individuals under the legal consumption age of 21, the legislation explicitly bans the use of certain child-appealing design elements on cannabis products, packaging, and vape cartridge labels, including cartoons, depictions of minors, child-focused celebrities or fictional characters, fantasy creatures like unicorns or wizards, imagery of children's foods like candy or cereal, bubble-style fonts, and the actual words "candy" or "candies." Additionally, the bill prohibits cannabis products from mimicking non-cannabis products marketed to children, bans cartoonish or overly stylized fruit depictions while still allowing realistic fruit images to show ingredients, and permits state regulators to adopt rules for other risky designs. To help businesses comply with these new standards, the department is required to provide educational materials and self-evaluation resources, which may include automated tools that offer advisory compliance checks without serving as official final rulings.