CALIFORNIA STATE LICENSING PREVIEW FROM CALIFORNIA CANNABIS BUSINESS CONFERENCE 2017

Lori Ajax

Lori Ajax, Head of The Bureau of Cannabis Control was the Keynote Speaker at the California Cannabis Industry Association’s Cal Cannabis Biz Con 2017 held last month at the Anaheim Marriott and Convention Center. This was the best cannabis industry Keynote I’ve attended in the past few years. Here is the link:

http://www.californiacannabisbusinessconference.com/anaheim-2017/media/news-and-press/download-a-free-video-of-lori-ajaxs-keynote-speech

The highlights of her speech are listed below:

  • The Bureau of Cannabis Control (“BCC”) has completed its CEQA environmental study which identifies the impact of the various license types, and the BCC will be making changes to the final regulations to mitigate any potential negative effects.
  • The BCC is now aligning the medical and adult-use recreational systems under a single regulatory scheme.
  • Expect the final draft of the regulations to be released in late November 2017.
  • The BCC has held a series of licensing workshops over the past two weeks to help applicants prepare for the January 1, 2018 start date.
  • There is a new online resource – www.cannabis.ca.gov
  • The BCC will be providing 4-month temporary licenses to all currently licensed operators and will issue subsequent 90-day extensions as needed.

I attended the Los Angeles workshop held at Exposition Park near The Colisseum, which turned out to be a small room filled with tables and flyers containing information readily available online. It is likely a reflection of the disorganization that we can expect in January, and I expect the BCC may have its bearings 12-24 months after opening day.