California published detailed plans to regulate its multibillion-dollar medical marijuana industry Friday, the most comprehensive rule book for medical marijuana since the state made it legal 20 years ago.
The proposed plan — drafted in three parts by three different state agencies — lays out standards for any medical marijuana business that wants to get licensed by the state, with rules for everything from how late marijuana shops can stay open to how big farms can be to how much weed can be sold to a patient in a single day.
STATE BY STATE: California Cannabis News
The 211 pages of regulations aren’t law yet, and they don’t apply to the upcoming recreational marijuana industry, which was legalized in November and kicks in on Jan. 1. The state is accepting public comment on the proposed medical cannabis rules plans in writing and through a series of public hearings over the next 45 days before final guidelines when the state issues licenses on Jan. 1, 2018.
“The proposed licensing regulations for medical cannabis are the result of countless hours of research, stakeholder outreach, informational sessions and pre-regulatory meetings all across the state,” said Lori Ajax, chief of the Bureau of Medical Cannabis Regulation. “And while we have done quite a bit of work, and heard from thousands of people, there is still so much more to do.”
