Will California be ready?

Is California going to be ready when legalization goes into effect in January? I have been hearing mixed reports.

—Les Skoalreddy

I have no idea. I too have been hearing mixed reports. If you ask the state, everything is on track. When the Sacramento CBS affiliate asked Alex Traverso from the California Bureau of Cannabis Control that same question, he said this: “The bottom line is, we’re on track for January.” He may be right. The CBCC plans to start accepting license applications this month, and State Treasurer John Chiang has just released a report that contains recommendations for banks and cannabis-based businesses. Still, legalization is about six weeks away, and the state has yet to release its full set of rules and regulations. Plus, the state only plans to issue temporary licenses, so many businesses will be stuck in limbo for a while.

The rules may also be unclear come Jan. 1 at the city and county levels. There are still plenty of localities that have banned cannabis businesses completely (looking at you Kern County, Merced and Sacramento County especially), even though towns and counties that ban canna-businesses won’t get any cannabis tax revenue or cannabis jobs. Cara Martinson of the California State Association of Counties told the Associated Press that, “The bulk of folks probably are not going to be ready January 1.” She could be right: The rules aren’t in place yet, so how can all the farmers and concentrate makers even know what is expected from them? Sure, there are some expected guidelines posted at the CBCC website, but you know those are going to change by the time the state starts accepting applications. Also, how are the dispensaries going to maintain a steady supply of product if they aren’t allowed to purchase from unlicensed providers? And the distribution system is still not in place. Remember what happened in Nevada. And Colorado. And Oregon. And every other place that has legalized cannabis. The demand far outstrips the supply at least for the first few months. Things are still way up in the air.

However, there are things that are still moving forward. The Bureau of Cannabis Control is holding its first committee meeting on Thursday, November 16 at the Masonic Temple in Sacramento. The meeting will go from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. If you are planning on going, get there early because seating is limited. If you can’t get in, they are going to webcast the meeting here: https://thedcapage.blog/webcasts.

In just under two months, cannabis businesses will be legal throughout most of California. If your city or county is being all recalcitrant, this is the time to talk to your elected officials. Remind them that other states have already legalized cannabis and that the benefits far outweigh any perceived disadvantages. Cannabis is expected to be a seven billion dollar industry in California. It would be a shame if your town misses out.