On Monday, three State Senate committees convened to pose questions to the heads of several State Agencies that regulate cannabis in light of the enactment of the Medical Cannabis Regulatory and Safety Act, and the voter-approved Adult Use of Marijuana Act (Proposition 64).
Led by Senator Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo) of the Senate Business, Professions & Economic Development Committee, a series of questions were posed to Ms. Lori Ajax, Chief of the Bureau of Medical Cannabis Regulation, Dr. Karen Smith, Director of the California Department of Public Health, and Jim Houston, Undersecretary of the California Department of Food & Agriculture (CDFA). In addition, Amy Tong of the California Department of Technology was on-hand to answer questions surrounding the use of various technology systems for the cannabis licensing scheme. Both the Senate Health Committee and the Senate Agriculture Committee participated in the three-hour hearing where the status of proposed regulations surrounding the regulatory scheme was addressed. Each of the agencies indicated that proposed medical cannabis regulations will be available for review and public comment “in the early Spring” with proposed emergency regulations for adult-use cannabis being unveiled sometime in August 2017. Senator Mike McGuire (D-Sonoma) provided a number of extensive questions to the regulatory agency panel, most pointedly to CDFA with concerns on how the thousands of cannabis cultivators on the North Coast will be impacted.
RCRC joined our local government partners at CSAC and the League of Cities in outlining the most immediate concerns with the development of a regulatory scheme, namely the contents of the proposed state regulatory packages. RCRC indicated that what will be most on the minds of the state’s rural counties will be the verification process showing that license applicants have received local approval to engage in commercial cannabis activities. In addition, RCRC expressed concerns over the State’s expectations of counties with regards to enforcement activities of county agricultural commissioners, environmental health directors, sheriff’s offices and tax collectors.
A similar hearing will be held in the State Assembly next week.