LICENSING
Title: CA Governor Appoints 3 New Permit Appeals Panel Members
Author: Green Rush Daily
Date: 7 July 2018
URL: https://greenrushdaily.com/california-governor-appoints-three-new-permit-appeals-panel-members/
Extract:
California’s cannabis laws have undergone a lot of changes this year. And often times, when laws change, it requires new agencies and authorities to oversee the new rules and regulations. This is exactly what’s happening in the state right now. In fact, earlier this week, California Gov. Jerry Brown picked three new permit appeals panel members. If confirmed, these panel members could play important roles in the state’s legal marijuana industry.
Gov. Brown’s New Picks
This week, Gov. Brown announced his picks for new members of the state’s appeals panel. The appeals panel is responsible for handling all appeals made in response to the state’s decisions about licenses, permits, and penalties.
For example, if authorities order a dispensary to close and the owners of the dispensary appeal the decision, the appeals panel takes over the case.
California’s appeals panel consists of five members. The governor appoints three of them. But the governor’s selections must be confirmed by the Senate.
Along with the governor’s appointments, the Speaker of the Assembly gets to appoint another panel member. Finally, the fifth member of the panel is appointed by the Senate Rules Committee.
Gov. Brown has now filled his three appointments. He chose 39 year old Sabrina D. Ashjian, 29 year old Diandra Bremond, and 35 year old Adrian Carpenter.
As reported by local news sources, Ashjian is from Fresno. With a law degree from Pepperdine University School of Law, she previously served as deputy district attorney at the Fresno County County District Attorney’s Office.
Bremond is from Los Angeles, where she leads a youth development program. She also worked as an adjunct lecturer at the University of Southern California.
Finally, Carpenter is from Plumas Lake. Like Bremond, she is an adjunct college teacher. She was also an attorney at the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office.
Now that Gov. Brown has officially announced his three selections, it will be up to the Senate to confirm them.
REGULATIONS
Title: California Dispensaries Forced to Destroy Up to $350 Million Worth of Cannabis Products
Author: The Marijuana Times
Date: 6 July 2018
Extract:
The United Cannabis Business Alliance estimates that loss from the products that must be destroyed could be more than $350 million. Some industry professionals say the main cause of this huge loss is that there simply are not enough labs to test products to ensure compliance.
“We just don’t have enough labs,” said David Hua, CEO of Meadow, an online purchasing platform. “A lot of the brands we know may not get through in time to get on shelves.”
State officials claim that they are doing the best they can, but that they are being ‘cautiously optimistic’.
“There are 31 licensed testing labs throughout the state. “We’d obviously love to have more, but I think we’re cautiously optimistic,” Alex Traverso, spokesman for the state bureau of cannabis control, wrote in an email.
