For help with all of your upcoming cannabis licensing needs, contact Cannabis Advising Partners at (800) 819-0149 or click the button below.

CONACT CAP

Licenses issued by the Bureau of Cannabis Control, CDFA’s CalCannabis Cultivation Licensing, and CDPH’s Manufactured Cannabis Safety Branch for cannabis cultivators, cannabis manufacturers, cannabis retailers, cannabis distributors, cannabis microbusinesses, cannabis testing laboratories, and cannabis event organizers are now in effect as of January 1, 2018, and businesses are now operating in California’s newly-legal commercial cannabis market. More than 10,000 cannabis operators, from Shasta Lake to the City of San Diego, hold state licenses in the largest cannabis market in the country.

A state license is required to engage in commercial cannabis activity in California. Applicants will also need to provide proof of approval from the local jurisdiction they’ll be operating in before a license can be issued. Please note that if a local jurisdiction prohibits commercial cannabis activity, the state cannot issue a license for a premises within that local jurisdiction.

For more information or to apply for a license with one of the state’s three cannabis licensing authorities, please visit the links provided below.

Apply for a License

Temporary Licensing Information

Cannabis License Search

Local Equity Information

Tax Permits

Motor Carrier Permits

cannabis licensing, cannabis licensing app, cannabis license, cannabis cultivation, cannabis manufacturing, cannabis testing lab, cannabis microbusiness, cannabis distributors, cannabis retailer, cannabis event organizer, cdfa, cdph, commercial cannabisIzzy GuarrasiJanuary 28, 2020cannabis licensing, cannabis license, commercial cannabis license, licensing, apply for an application, apply for a cannabis application, cdfa, bureau of cannabis control, calcannabis, calcannabis cultivation licensing, calcannabis cultivation, cdph, cannabis manufacturing, cannabis application, cannabis manufacturing license, cannabis distribution, cannabis distributors, cannabis retail, cannabis retail application, cannabis microbusiness, cannabis cultivation, cannabis cultivators, cannabis manufacturers, commercial cannabis

Cannabis Legislation Timeline

The Medicinal and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MAUCRSA), which was signed into law in June 2017, creates the general framework for the regulation of commercial medicinal and adult-use cannabis in California. The text of MAUCRSA is available on the California Legislative Information website.

MAUCRSA also established a dual licensing structure in which both the state and local governments participate in setting guidelines and public health standards for the industry. The state sets minimum requirements that all licensees must follow, and local governments are able to set additional requirements.

Cannabis Legislation Timeline

2017 – The California State Legislature passed a budget trailer bill, Senate Bill 94, that integrated MCRSA with AUMA to create the Medicinal and Adult‐Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MAUCRSA). Under MAUCRSA, a single regulatory system governs the medicinal and adult-use cannabis industry in California.

Senate Bill 94
Assembly Bill 133

2016 – California voters passed Proposition 64, the Adult Use of Marijuana Act (AUMA). Under Proposition 64, adults 21 years of age or older can legally grow, possess, and use cannabis for non-medicinal purposes, with certain restrictions. Additionally, AUMA also made it legal to sell and distribute cannabis through a regulated business as of January 1, 2018.

Proposition 64
Proposition 64 Official Title and Summary

2015 – The legislature passed the Medical Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MCRSA), a series of three bills that created a state licensing and regulatory system for the existing medical market. MCRSA also established the state’s three cannabis licensing authorities – (Bureau of Cannabis Control, CalCannabis Cultivation Licensing, and Manufactured Cannabis Safety Branch). These bills were repealed when MAUCRSA was passed in 2017.

Assembly Bill 266
Assembly Bill 243
Senate Bill 643

1996 – California voters passed Proposition 215, the Compassionate Use Act (CUA) – the first voter-approved state ballot initiative for medical marijuana in the United States. CUA allowed qualified patients and approved caregivers to possess and cultivate medical cannabis and ultimately led to the formation of collectives and cooperatives to serve medical patients throughout the state.

Proposition 215
Senate Bill 420

Governor Newsom Looks to Bridge the Gap Between Cannabis License Owners and Local Government

Screen Shot 2020-01-14 at 3.23.02 PM.png

Governor of California, Gavin Newsom wants to combine multiple state agencies into one department to simplify the cannabis licensing processes and have oversight of all commercial cannabis activity. This new department which Governor Newsom calls the “Department of Cannabis Control,” will act as a centralized force as opposed to the current three which are the Bureau of Cannabis Control, Manufactured Cannabis Safety Branch, and CalCannabis. Newsom works to bridge the gap between cannabis license holders and local governments.

Information Regarding Posting of QR Codes by Commercial Cannabis Retail Licensees

Screen Shot 2020-01-02 at 10.13.47 AM.png

The Bureau of Cannabis Control (Bureau) is encouraging retailers open to the public to post a QR Code certificate that consumers may scan with their smartphone camera when visiting a commercial cannabis storefront retailer to confirm licensure. Participation in this effort by retail licensees will assist consumers in purchasing legal cannabis goods. Licensees are also encouraged to educate their customers on how to use the QR Code and the importance of shopping at a licensed retailer. The Bureau is providing licensees with an enlarged version of their individual QR Code (QR Code certificate). Storefront cannabis retailers are encouraged to assist the public by prominently displaying their QR Code certificate on the licensed premises in the following manner:

• The QR Code certificate should be visible and scannable from outside the premises.

• The QR Code certificate should be printed on paper not less than 8 ½” by 11”.

• The QR Code itself should not be less than 3.75” by 3.75”.

• The QR Code should be posted in the front window of the licensed premises or in a locked display case mounted on the outside wall of the licensed premises within three (3) feet of any public entrance to the licensed facility.

• The QR Code should be posted in a manner that is clearly visible from outside of the licensed premises by all persons entering the premises and shall be of sufficient clarity that the code can be read by a smartphone or device capable of reading QR Codes from a distance of at least three (3) feet.

Consumers can confirm that the retail location is properly licensed by using a phone camera or QR Code app to scan the QR Code certificate. Once scanned, the consumer will automatically link to a URL that confirms the cannabis retailer’s license status. The website will display the address and business license of the location to ensure that the retailer at that location is licensed. By providing commercial cannabis consumers with an easy method for verifying licensure status, the Bureau and its licensees can work together to reduce the potential risks that may come from the purchase of non-compliant cannabis goods from unlicensed retailers.

Click the video below:

business licensing, california business, california cannabis, cannabis, cannabis application, cannabis business license, cannabis compliance, cannabis cultivation, cannabis distribution, cannabis entrepreneur, cannabis industry growth, cannabis licensing, cannabis manufacturing, cannabis news, cannabis regulations, cannabis retail, consulting services, dispensary application, los angeles cannabis law, marijuana news, metrc compliance, retail application, weed news, weed politics, cannabis retail license, bureau of cannabis contro, bccIzzy GuarrasiJanuary 2, 2020bureau of cannabis control qr codes, bcc, bureau of cannabis control, cannabis compliance, commercial cannabis license, consulting services in california, cannabis compiance, california compliance, California, dispensary news, dispensary, long beach cannabis news, cannabis community, cannabis news, cannabis business, cannabis business license, cannabis licensing, california cannabis retail, california cannabis regulations, cannabis regulations