CA AB1448

Amends Section 26038 of the Business and Professions Code to modify how civil penalties from cannabis enforcement actions are distributed among local jurisdictions and the state General Fund.

Changes the penalty distribution for actions brought by county counsel or city attorney/prosecutor: 50% of remaining penalty funds (after reimbursing prosecution costs) now go to the county or city, with the other 50% deposited into the General Fund.

Maintains existing civil penalty amounts: up to three times the license fee for unlicensed commercial cannabis activity, up to $30,000 for aiding and abetting, and up to $10,000 for knowingly leasing property for unlicensed cannabis activity.

Preserves the Attorney General's original penalty distribution structure where all remainder funds go to the General Fund after reimbursement of investigation and prosecution costs.

Approved by the Governor on October 13, 2023, and became law as Chapter 843.