California Update: Bureau of Cannabis Control Announcements, Federal, State,

BUREAU OF CANNABIS CONTROL FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

September 6, 2017 Contact: Alex Traverso (916) 574-7546

BUREAU OF CANNABIS CONTROL ANNOUNCES CEQA PROPOSED PROGRAM STUDY RESULTS AND PUBLIC WORKSHOP MEETINGS

SACRAMENTO – The Bureau of Cannabis Control today announced the conclusion of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Proposed Program study.

As the lead agency under CEQA, the Bureau has prepared an Initial Study/Proposed Negative Declaration (IS/ND) for the Proposed Program. Based on the findings of the IS/ND, the Bureau has determined that the Proposed Program would not have any significant effects on the environment.

The Bureau is developing regulations pursuant to the Medicinal and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MAUCRSA) to establish a regulatory licensing and enforcement program (Proposed Program) for commercial cannabis distributors, retailers, testing laboratories and microbusinesses.

The overall purpose of the Proposed Program is to establish a regulatory licensing and enforcement program that ensures medicinal and adult-use commercial cannabis activities are performed in a manner that protects the environment, commercial cannabis industry workers, the general public and complies with applicable laws.

The Bureau is making the IS/ND available for public review and will consider public comments regarding the content of the IS/ND.

The Bureau will also host three community workshop meetings to provide the public and regulatory agencies an opportunity to ask questions and submit comments on the IS/ND. These workshops will be available in Long Beach on September 18, Fresno on September 20 and Sacramento on September 21. All meetings will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The formal comment period for the IS/ND for the Proposed Program begins on September 6 and ends at 5 p.m. on October 6.

More information on the upcoming workshop meetings, Initial Study results and Notice of Intent can be found at: http://www.bmcr.ca.gov/.

Comments may be emailed to: BCC.CEQAcomments@dca.ca.gov.

For additional information about the Bureau of Cannabis Control, or to subscribe to email alerts to hear about updates as they become available, please visit our website – http://www.bmcr.ca.gov/. For information on all three licensing authorities, please visit the state’s cannabis web portal – cannabis.ca.gov.

 

September 6, 2017

Subject: Notice of Intent to Adopt an Initial Study and Proposed Negative Declaration Regarding the Proposed Statewide Regulations for the Bureau of Cannabis Control’s Commercial Cannabis Business Licensing Program

To Interested Parties:

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the California Bureau of Cannabis Control (Bureau), as lead agency under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), has prepared an Initial Study and is planning to adopt a proposed negative declaration for its commercial cannabis business licensing program (Proposed Program). The Bureau is making the Initial Study/Proposed Negative Declaration (IS/ND) available for public review.

PROGRAM LOCATION: The Proposed Program would occur statewide, in various locations within the state of California at licensed commercial cannabis distributors, retailers, testing laboratories, and microbusinesses.

PROJECT BACKGROUND: The overall purpose of the Proposed Program is to establish a regulatory licensing and enforcement program for commercial cannabis activities. The Proposed Program will ensure that medicinal and adult-use commercial cannabis activities are performed in a manner that avoids significant adverse impacts on the environment, cannabis industry workers, and the general public from the individual and cumulative effects of these commercial cannabis activities, and complies with applicable laws, including the Medicinal and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MAUCRSA).

The Proposed Program involves adoption of regulations to establish and implement a licensing program for medicinal and adult-use cannabis distributors, retailers, testing laboratories, and microbusinesses, in compliance with the requirements of MAUCRSA.

The Proposed Program regulations will be developed to achieve the following objectives:

Create a comprehensive and coherent regulatory framework for an established industry that has not been regulated by the State.

Establish minimum licensing requirements for commercial cannabis distributors, retailers, testing laboratories, and microbusinesses;

Ensure that commercial cannabis is tested for quality, including the presence and amounts of mold, contaminants, and pesticides, prior to retail sale;

Prescribe standards for the reporting of the movement of cannabis and cannabis products throughout the distribution chain (a “track and trace” system) and information related to the movement of cannabis and cannabis products for the different stages of commercial cannabis activity, including, but not limited to distribution, retail sale, laboratory testing, and microbusiness operations; and

Ensure a regulatory structure that prevents access to cannabis by persons without a physician’s recommendation or who are under 21 years of age; protects public safety, public health, and the environment.

The Bureau would review cannabis business license applications and issue or deny licenses, inspect business premises to determine compliance with regulatory requirements, and conduct enforcement actions, which could include investigations, penalties, licensing actions, and/or destruction of cannabis plants and products.

The release of the IS/ND starts a 30-day public review and comment period to allow agencies and interested parties the opportunity to provide input on the environmental analyses associated with cannabis business licensing.

As the lead agency, the Bureau has prepared the IS/ND in accordance with CEQA. Based on the findings of the draft IS/ND, the Bureau has determined that the Proposed Program would not have any significant effects on the environment.

HAZARDOUS MATERIALS. Because the locations where licensed operations may be sited are currently unknown, it cannot be determined whether they would be located on sites on any of the lists enumerated under section 65962.5 of the Government Code including, but not limited to lists of hazardous waste facilities, land designated as hazardous waste property, and hazardous waste disposal sites, and the information in the Hazardous Waste and Substances Statement required under subdivision (f) of that section.

DOCUMENT AVAILABILITY: The IS/ND and supporting documents are available for download from the Bureau’s website: www.bcc.ca.gov. Hard copies of the document can be reviewed at the Bureau’s offices in Sacramento (address shown below). To arrange to view documents at the Bureau’s offices during business hours, call (916) 574-7595. The document can also be reviewed electronically at libraries throughout the state that serve as document repositories; for a full list of locations, refer to the Bureau’s website. CD-ROMs containing the document are available on request by phoning (916) 574-7595 or emailing BCC.CEQAcomments@dca.ca.gov. A limited number of CD-ROMs will also be available at the public meetings in Long Beach, Fresno, and Sacramento. Printed copies are also available at cost plus postage, upon request, using the contact information above.

PUBLIC REVIEW PERIOD: The IS/ND is available for a 30-day public review and comment period, which begins on September 6, 2017, and ends at 5 p.m. on October 6, 2017. Please send comments on the IS/ND at the earliest possible date, but postmarked no later than 5 p.m. on October 6, 2017, in order for your comments to be considered.

Comments may be mailed to the following address:

Bureau of Cannabis Control

Attention: Sara Gardner

Attorney III

1625 North Market Boulevard, Suite S-202

Sacramento, CA 95834

Written comments may also be submitted by email to: BCC.CEQAcomments@dca.ca.gov. Emailed comments are preferred, and should include your name, address, and daytime telephone number so a representative of the Bureau can contact you if clarifications regarding your comments are required.

All comments received, including names and addresses, will become part of the official public record.

PUBLIC MEETINGS: All interested persons are encouraged to attend the public meetings to present written and/or verbal comments on the IS/ND. Three public workshops will be held at the following locations and times:

Long Beach, CA: Monday, September 18, 2017 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Long Beach Marriott, 4700 Airport Plaza Drive, Long Beach, CA 90815.

Fresno, CA: Wednesday, September 20, 2017, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Fresno Convention Center, 838 M Street, Fresno, CA 93721.

Sacramento, CA: Thursday, September 21, 2017, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Sacramento Convention Center, 1400 J Street, Sacramento, CA 95814.

FEDERAL

Federal Demand for Medical Marijuana Data in California Raises Privacy Alarms

http://www.therecorder.com/id=1202797257073/Federal-Demand-for-Medical-Marijuana-Data-in-California-Raises-Privacy-Alarms?mcode=1202617072607&curindex=0&slreturn=20170808162640

A federal official with an anti-drug agency has asked California for demographic data about the 86,723 patients who have obtained medical marijuana user cards, raising privacy alarms among cannabis advocates.

Dale Quigley, deputy coordinator of the National Marijuana Initiative, asked the Department of Public Health on Aug. 1 for the age, gender and stated affliction—but not the identity—of every Californian who received a card between 2012 and 2016, according to a copy of Quigley’s email obtained by The Recorder.

Ed Shemelya, coordinator of the National Marijuana Initiative, said in an interview that his office is seeking the anonymized data from cannabis-legal states such as California to study “usage rates” among different age groups. He said the only agenda behind the data collection is to “provide objective information about … this drug.”

“That’s it,” Shemelya said. “It’s a big to-do over nothing.”

Quigley did not get the information.

In an email response sent that same day, an unidentified person with the state’s Medical Marijuana Program said the health department only administers the ID card program “and does not have any information regarding dispensaries.” The email sender suggested Quigley contact cities and counties that license dispensaries.

 

STATE

The UK Independent Newspaper Reports

California is about to open its first legal cannabis shops and it’s posing a huge problem for local pot farms

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/california-cannabis-legal-weed-marijuana-farms-supply-demand-issues-a7931146.html

But, despite the grand opening of California’s recreational marijuana industry being mere months away, many of the people who have tended their plants beneath the evergreens and oaks of the state’s undulating hills aren’t sure they can stay in the business. A crop that should be becoming a boon risks becoming a burden, as many will have nowhere to sell what they’ve grown.

 

Cannabis Industry Leaders Drive Growth With Acquisition Strategies and Territorial Expansion

http://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/Cannabis-Industry-Leaders-Drive-Growth-With-Acquisition-Strategies-and-Territorial-Expansion-1002345355

Exceeding $7.2 billion in 2016, the legal cannabis market is maintaining a rapid expansion rate, according to Forbes, thanks to a demand for both medical marijuana and legal adult recreational sales in many U.S. states. Growth is expected to continue at a compound annual rate of 17 percent, but it is more than a diverse and accessible customer base fueling the fire. Companies such as SinglePoint, Inc. (OTC: SING) (SING Profile) have been busy with acquisitions that have expanded its capabilities and reach. The company not only serves the legal markets in Arizona, but also California, Nevada, and potentially other soon-to-be-legal markets such as Texas. This pattern is industry-wide. Terra Tech Corp. (OTC: TRTC), MassRoots, Inc. (OTC: MSRT), ABcann Global Corp. (OTC: ABCCF) (TSX-V:  ABCN), and Medical Marijuana, Inc. (OTC: MJNA) have also trended with acquisitions and expansions, giving the industry the boost everyone has anticipated.

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