California Regulators Release Proposed Permanent Cannabis Rules

Comments are due by 5pm, August 27th 2018. Speak now on the proposed California Cannabis regulations or forever hold your peace.

The California Bureau of Cannabis Control released a press release on Friday, July 13th, announcing the State Cannabis Licencing Authorities proposed permanent regulations. The clock is officially ticking to submit your public comments on the proposed permanent rules. You have until August 27th at 5pm to get your comments in.

In the above video, a panel of policy experts talk about how the public can engage with the agencies to make comments and have your voice heard prior to the new proposed regulations becoming permanent.

Speakers
Juli Crockett, Director of Compliance, MMLG
Pamela Epstein, CEO, Green Wise
Alexis d’Angelo, Membership & Outreach Liason, CCIA (California Cannabis Industry Association)
Sarah Armstrong, Director of Industry Affairs, Americans for Safe Access

According to the July 13th press release:

California’s three state cannabis licensing authorities today announced the publication of proposed regulations in the California Regulatory Notice Register, the first step toward adopting non-emergency regulations. This publication is the start of the formal rulemaking process and marks the opening of the 45-day public comment period.

Each licensing authority’s proposed non-emergency regulations and rulemaking documents have been posted to California’s Cannabis Portal and can be viewed by clicking the following link.

The current emergency regulations, adopted by the Bureau of Cannabis Control, California Department of Public Health and California Department of Food & Agriculture in December 2017 and readopted in June 2018, were originally issued through the emergency rulemaking process to meet the legislative mandate to open California’s regulated cannabis market on January 1, 2018. These emergency regulations will remain in effect until the non-emergency rulemaking process is complete.

“The emergency rulemaking process provided an opportunity to evaluate how the rules were working for businesses throughout the supply chain,” said Bureau of Cannabis Control Chief Lori Ajax. “The regulations we now propose include changes that make it easier for businesses to operate and strengthen public health and safety policies.” Public comments on the proposed regulations will be accepted in writing and during public hearings held throughout the state by each of the three licensing authorities on their respective proposed regulations.

Dates and locations for each agency’s public comment hearings, including documents with instructions on how to submit written comments, are listed below.

Bureau of Cannabis Control Hearing Dates and Locations: August 7, 2018, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Hilton Oakland Airport, One Hegenberger Road, Oakland, CA 94621 August 14, 2018, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Millennium Biltmore Hotel, 506 South Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90071 August 27, 2018, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Tsakopoulos Library Galleria, 828 I Street, Sacramento, CA 95814

How to Get Involved in the Regulatory Process.

California Department of Public Health Hearing Dates and Locations: July 30, 2018, 10:00 a.m. 900 E. Birch Street, Valencia Room, Brea, CA 92821 August 20, 2018, 10:00 a.m. 901 Myrtle Avenue, Eureka, CA 95501 August 27, 2018, 10:00 a.m. 8400 Edes Avenue, Oakland, CA 94621

Instructions on Submitting Public Comment.

California Department of Food & Agriculture Hearing Dates and Locations: July 24, 2018, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Adorni Center, 1011 Waterfront Drive, Eureka, CA 95501 July 26, 2018, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Mission Inn Hotel and Spa, 3649 Mission Inn Avenue, Riverside, CA 92501 July 31, 2018, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Hilton Santa Barbara, 633 East Cabrillo Boulevard, Santa Barbara, CA 93103 August 28, 2018, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. California Department of Food & Agriculture, Auditorium, 1220 N Street, Sacramento, CA 95814

How to Submit Your Comments.

The licensing authorities will review each timely and relevant comment received and will respond to all comments in documents filed during the final stages of the rulemaking process, regardless of the method used to submit the comments. Comments may be submitted in writing to each licensing authority or at a public comment hearing. Comments also may be submitted orally at a public comment hearing. Parties interested in attending a public comment hearing do not need to RSVP. No public comments will be accepted by phone. On June 27, 2017, the legislature passed and Governor Brown signed into law the Medicinal and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MAUCRSA) which provided one regulatory framework for both medicinal and adult-use commercial cannabis activity within the state. The state cannabis authorities adopted emergency regulations in December 2017 for initial implementation of the provisions of MAUCRSA and are now using the regular rulemaking process to adopt permanent regulations.

For additional information regarding the release of the proposed regulations, or the upcoming public comment hearings, or to subscribe to email alerts to hear about updates as they become available, please visit the Bureau’s website at http://www.bcc.ca.gov/. For information on all three state licensing authorities, please visit the state’s California Cannabis Portal at https://cannabis.ca.gov/. Follow the Bureau on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for daily news and updates. Those looking to get in touch with the Bureau of Cannabis Control can call our Call Center at (833) 768-5880, or send an email to [email protected].

BCC

CDPH

CDFA

Public comments on the proposed regulations will be accepted in writing and during public hearings held throughout the state by the state’s three cannabis licensing authorities.

The BCC said they would review each timely and relevant comment received and will respond to all comments in documents filed during the final stages of the rulemaking process, regardless of the method used to submit the comments. Comments can be submitted in writing to the BCC, or at a public comment hearing. People interested in leaving comments can also provide them orally at a public comment hearing. Parties interested in attending a public comment hearing do not need to RSVP. The BCC will not accept public comments by phone.

Appropriate comments need to be sent to the appropriate agency: CDFA (Cultivation Regs), CDPH (Manufacturing Regs), or BCC (Bureau Regs: Lab, Retail, Lab, Micro).