California Regulator Updates Its Cannabis Rules
California’s cannabis regulator has tightened some of its rules and loosened others.
In an announcement on November 10, the Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) said that its update “consolidates, clarifies, and makes consistent licensing and enforcement criteria for commercial cannabis businesses”.
“The adoption of these regulations represents DCC’s commitment to advance rational regulatory improvements that remove unnecessary and burdensome regulatory challenges for cannabis operators and advance protections for consumers,” DCC Director Nicole Elliott said in a statement.
“I want to applaud the contributions of our many partners, including our licensees, public health officials, and local cannabis regulators for providing valuable feedback and input during this important process.”
Some of the updates include:
- A new clarification that cannabis products intended for inhalation shall only contain “cannabis, cannabis concentrate, terpenes, rolling paper, leaf, pre-roll filter tips,” or ingredients permitted by the United States Food and Drug Administration as an inactive ingredient for inhalation.
- Tighter cannabis-advertising rules to prevent products from appealing to children. The terms “candy” or “candies”, for instance, are banned from appearing on cannabis packaging.
- More flexible delivery options for consumers living in California regions with limited access to legal cannabis. Businesses will also be more able to expand their vehicle fleets in response to demand and curbside deliveries, which were prioritized during the beginning of the pandemic, will now be permanent.
- A new minimum age requirement for employees at licensed cannabis businesses; they must now be at least 21 years old.
- More requirements for owners of cannabis labs; from now on, they cannot also be an owner or a “financial interest holder” of a commercial cannabis business.
- The removal of a previous requirement for cultivators to weigh individual plants after harvest.
- A new rule for consumption lounges; they will now be able to sell pre-packaged food and beverages.
Further information on the new rules can be found here.
