This bill is part of the 2019 Cannabis Bills section of our ongoing update on California Cannabis Legislation – see the full California Cannabis Law Legislative Update which includes information on cannabis bills from other years.
SB 658 (Bradford D) Cannabis: licensing: cannabis retail business emblem: track and trace.
Existing law, the Medicinal and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MAUCRSA), among other things, generally divides responsibility for the state licensure and regulation of commercial cannabis activity among the Department of Food and Agriculture, the State Department of Public Health, and the Bureau of Cannabis Control, which MAUCRSA establishes within the Department of Consumer Affairs.
This bill would, by December 31, 2019, require the bureau to establish a cannabis retail business emblem and would require, beginning on January 1, 2020, the bureau to issue an emblem to each retail licensee, microbusiness licensee, and nonprofit licensee, including provisional licensees, as provided, upon issuance of the license. The bill would, among other things, require a licensee issued an emblem to post the emblem in a specified location that is clearly visible to the general public and to patrons entering the facility and would require specified employees to carry the emblem when delivering cannabis or cannabis products. The bill would make specified violations of these provisions punishable under MAUCRSA.
MAUCRSA requires the Bureau of Cannabis Control, in determining whether to grant, deny, or renew a retail, microbusiness, or nonprofit license, to consider if an excessive concentration of licensees exists in the area where the licensee will operate.
This bill would remove the provisions requiring the bureau to consider whether an excessive concentration of licensees exists when granting, denying, or renewing specified licenses.
MAUCRSA requires the Department of Food and Agriculture, in consultation with the Bureau of Cannabis Control, to establish a track and trace program for reporting the movement of cannabis and cannabis products throughout the distribution chain. Existing law requires the track and trace program to capture, at a minimum, information on the licensee receiving the product, the transaction date, and the cultivator from which the product originates. To facilitate the administration of the track and trace program, existing law requires the department to create an electronic database containing that information and requires licensing authorities, upon the request of a state or local law enforcement agency, to allow access to or provide information contained within this database to assist law enforcement in their duties and responsibilities pursuant to MAUCRSA.
This bill would require a licensing authority to also allow a local jurisdiction access to, or provide information contained within, the electronic database.
Read more about California Cannabis Legislation – see the full California Cannabis Law Legislative Update.
Contact us by phone or email to learn more about California cannabis law including state, county or city cannabis licensing and cannabis regulations, cannabis regulatory compliance, and cannabis litigation.