BUREAU OF CANNABIS CONTROL
The Bureau of Cannabis Control (Bureau) announced today ( 25 May 2018) that it has submitted the proposed readoption of emergency regulations for commercial medicinal and adult-use cannabis to the Office of Administrative Law (OAL).
Those who wish to comment on the proposed readoption of these emergency regulations must submit their comment directly to OAL within five calendar days of OAL’s posting of the proposed readoption on their website. The comment period will begin on Friday, May 25, 2018, and end on Wednesday, May 30, 2018. You may submit comments on the proposed readoption to OAL at:
Office of Administrative Law
OAL Reference Attorney
300 Capitol Mall, Suite 1250
Sacramento, CA 95814
E-mail: [email protected]
When you submit a comment to OAL, you must also submit a copy of your comment simultaneously to the Bureau at:
Bureau of Cannabis Control
2920 Kilgore Road
Rancho Cordova, CA 95670
E-mail: [email protected]
OAL will confirm the Bureau has received the comment before considering it. Pursuant to California Code of Regulations, Title 1, section 55(b)(1) through (4), the comment must state that it is about an emergency regulation currently under OAL review, and include the topic of the emergency.
Adoption of emergency regulations does not require response to comments. Any responses to comments from the Bureau will be submitted to OAL within eight calendar days following the date of submission of the proposed emergency regulation to OAL, unless specific exceptions are applicable.
For additional information about the proposed readoption of these emergency regulations, or to subscribe to email alerts to hear about updates as they become available, please visit the Bureau’s website at http://www.bcc.ca.gov/. For information on all three state licensing authorities, please visit the state’s California Cannabis Portal at https://cannabis.ca.gov/. Follow the Bureau on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for daily news and updates.
Those looking to get in touch with the Bureau of Cannabis Control can call our Call Center at (833) 768-5880, or send an email to [email protected].
STATE
Title: California Spikes proposed Workplace Protections
Author: The Recorder
Date: 25 May 2018
Extract:
California lawmakers on Friday shelved legislation that would have offered employment protections to qualified medical marijuana users.
The bill died without debate in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. Advocates had sought to bring California in line with a handful of other marijuana-legal states that require employers to provide reasonable accommodations to medical cannabis users so long as the employees don’t come to work impaired or cause an undue hardship on business operations.
The bill, AB 2069, faced opposition from businesses and trade groups, including the state Chamber of Commerce, drug-tester Quest Diagnostics and the Personal Insurance Federation of California. They argued that the proposed worker protections were too broad and threatened employers’ statutory authority to maintain a drug-free workplace.
California employers still enjoy broad discretion to make hiring and firing decisions based on their workers’ now-legal marijuana use. The state Supreme Court in 2008 held in Ross v. RagingWire Telecommunications that businesses are not required to accommodate medical cannabis users.
The Legislature decided the fate of several other marijuana-regulating bills on Friday. Here’s the latest:
➤➤ AB 3157, which would have temporarily reduced the 15 percent cannabis excise tax to 11 percent and suspended a by-the-ounce cultivation tax, also died in the appropriations committee. The bill was an effort to encourage more black-market marijuana operators to get licensed. Lower-than-projected tax revenues suggest some growers are shunning the new regulatory system.
Although the bill sailed out of two policy committees with bipartisan support, the appropriations committee on Friday rejected numerous bills offering tax cuts and tax credits.
The bill’s author, Assemblyman Tom Lackey, R-Palmdale, said in an email that the state’s illicit cannabis market will continue to thrive “until legal businesses are put on a more level playing field. The next round of state tax collection numbers will be released in early August and that will be a time to reassess whether the current system is working.”
➤➤ Legislation to create a closed-loop, state marijuana banking system survived a spending committee vote. SB 930 would allow limited-charter banks and credit unions to accept deposits from marijuana businesses and to provide restricted check-writing ability for those customers, who are typically shunned by traditional banks.
➤➤ Lawmakers also approved a bill to allow cannabis operations to deduct business expenses from their state taxes in the same way other companies do. That practice is banned at the federal level, creating a major tax expense for cannabis businesses in marijuana-legal states. The bill is sponsored by the California Cannabis Industry Association.
OROVILLE
Title: Oroville residents chime in on commercial cannabis
Author: Chico Enterprise Record
Date: 24 May 2018
URL: http://www.chicoer.com/article/NA/20180524/NEWS/180529842
Extract:
The council voted 5-2 in February to hire SCI Consulting Group for $40,000 to prepare tax and fee proposals and provide the aforementioned services. Mayor Linda Dahlmeier and councilor Scott Thomson voted against the motion and said they were in favor of allowing residents to vote on it instead.
Representatives for the firm got a mixed bag of opinions at the forum in the Municipal Auditorium on Thursday. While there was a fair amount of opposition — the first speaker was a representative for Rep. Doug LaMalfa who reminded everyone this would be against federal law — discussion over the hot button topic was civil and went without disruption.
There were about 40 people in attendance. Though scheduled for three hours, the forum wrapped up in about two hours. A second meeting was held in the evening.
The next step will be for the firm to establish a stakeholders group, consisting of representatives from backgrounds like law enforcement, finance, planning, schools, churches and businesses. Some attendees suggested local leaders in other fields, such as rehabilitation and health care, which Neil Hall, business initiative leader for SCI Consulting Group, said after the meeting would be taken into consideration.
SAN DIEGO
Title: War Against Pot Continues in San Diego County
Author: OBRAG
Date: 24 May 2018
URL: https://obrag.org/2018/05/war-against-pot-continues-in-san-diego-county/
Extract:
County officials are trying a new tactic in their fight to shut down unpermitted marijuana dispensaries in Spring Valley — giving property owners 10 days to cease the illegal business operations or face losing access to their buildings. And they say the approach seems to be working.
Sheriff’s investigators have targeted a dozen illegal dispensaries in this East County community for more than a year, serving warrants resulting in the seizure of about 7,000 pounds of cannabis products, five firearms and $85,000 in cash….
Owners are being given notices warning them they have 10 days to remove the illegal business or risk having the building “boarded up and secured.” “In order to correct this violation you are required to abandon the marijuana dispensary use and establish a new legal use and occupancy,” the notices say.
To secure a building, county workers may board up doors and windows or even erect a fence around the structure, said county spokeswoman Jessica Northrup. So far, four illegal dispensaries have complied with the order to remove their illegal businesses after being given the 10-day notice, said sheriff’s Sgt. Matt Cook.
