California

Regulatory Framework

The primary agency regulating adult-use cannabis in California is the Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) [1]. DCC is led by a Director who is appointed by the governor and approved by the state senate. The department also houses a Cannabis Advisory Committee page [2]. The DCC operates under the Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency [3].

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) administers the Cannabis Appellations Program (CAP) to "help prevent the misrepresentation of a cannabis goods origin and promote regional collaboration around cannabis production," as well as the OCal Certification Program, the state's comparable-to-organic standard [4].

The Secretary of State maintains the Cannabizfile page, an online portal for all information relevant to cannabis-related business and trademark filings [5].

The California Department of Tax and Fee Administration posts quarterly cannabis tax revenue information. [6]

Industry Associations

• https://www.calgrowersassociation.org/
• https://www.cacannabisindustry.org/

Legal Status

Track-and-Trace

California employs the California Cannabis Track-and-Trace (CCTT) system, which utilizes METRC software and unique identifiers (UIDs) to monitor cannabis product movement through the licensed commercial distribution chain [8].

The DCC maintains four data dashboards to transform raw data from licensing and track-and-trace systems into valuable insights [9].

Licensing

Possession Limits

Medical Cannabis

Patients with a doctor's recommendation for medical cannabis can obtain it from licensed dispensaries. Alternatively, they can apply for a registry ID card through the California Department of Public Health's Medical Marijuana Identification Card Program (MMICP). To qualify for an MMICP, patients must have a qualifying medical condition as defined by Senate Bill 94 (Chapter 27, Statutes of 2017) [12].

Additional Resources

• Wikpedia: Cannabis in California: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis_in_California
• California Department of Cannabis Control: https://cannabis.ca.gov/
• California Department of Public Health - MMICP: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CHSI/Pages/MMICP.aspx

Los Angeles

• City of Los Angeles Department of Cannabis Regulation: https://cannabis.lacity.gov/
• Los Angeles County Consumer & Business Affairs - Office of Cannabis Management: https://dcba.lacounty.gov/cannabis/
• Los Angeles County Department of Public Health - Cannabis Compliance & Enforcement Program: http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/eh/business/cannabis.htm

San Diego

• City of San Diego Development Services - Cannabis Information: https://www.sandiego.gov/development-services/cannabis
• San Diego County Socially Equitable Cannabis Program: https://engage.sandiegocounty.gov/hub-page/cannabis-program
• San Diego County Medical Marijuana Identification Card Program: https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/hhsa/programs/phs/mmic.html

San Jose

• San Jose Police Department Division of Cannabis Regulation: https://www.sjpd.org/about-us/organization/chief-executive-officer/cannabis-regulation
• Santa Clara County Public Health - Medical Marijuana Program: https://publichealth.sccgov.org/services/medical-marijuana

San Francisco

• City and County of San Francisco Office Of Cannabis: https://www.sf.gov/departments/office-cannabis

Fresno

• City of Fresno Office of Cannabis Oversight: https://www.fresno.gov/citymanager/office-of-cannabis-oversight/
• Fresno County Department of Public Health - Medical Marijuana Identification Card Program: https://www.fresnocountyca.gov/Departments/Public-Health/Epidemiology-Surveillance-and-Data-Management/Medical-Marijuana-Identification-Card-Program

References

• [1] Cannabis | California Cannabis Portal,https://cannabis.ca.gov/. (Accessed June 26, 2024).
• [2] Cannabis Advisory Committee, California Department of Cannabis Control. https://cannabis.ca.gov/about-us/cannabis-advisory-committee/ (Accessed June 26, 2024).
• [3] "About BCSH, California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency. https://bcsh.ca.gov/about/index.html (Accessed June 26, 2024).
• [4] OCal Cannabis Certification Program, California Department of Food and Agriculture. https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/is/ocal.html (Accessed June 26, 2024).
• [5] Secretary of States Role in Starting a Cannabis Business," California Secretary of State. https://www.sos.ca.gov/business-programs/cannabizfile/secretary-states-role-starting-cannabis-business (Accessed June 26, 2024).
• [6] Open Data Portal, California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. https://www.cdtfa.ca.gov/dataportal/dataset.htm?url=CannabisTaxRevenues (Accessed June 26, 2024).
• [7] "What's Legal," California Department of Cannabis Control. https://cannabis.ca.gov/consumers/whats-legal/ (Accessed June 26, 2024).
• [8] California Cannabis Track-and-Trace System. Available: https://cannabis.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/04/Track-and-Trace_System_5-Steps.pdf (Accessed June 26, 2024).
• [9] Data dashboards, California Department of Cannabis Control. https://cannabis.ca.gov/resources/data-dashboard/ (Accessed June 26, 2024).
• [10] License types, California Department of Cannabis Control. https://cannabis.ca.gov/applicants/license-types/ (Accessed June 26, 2024).
• [11] Law section, California State Legislature. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=11357.&lawCode=HSC (Accessed June 26, 2024).
• [12] Medical Marijuana Identification Card Program - FAQs, California Department of Public Health. https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CHSI/Pages/MMICP-FAQs.aspx (Accessed July 8, 2024).