California DCC Files Emergency Rule Action for Cannabis Delivery Tracking

The California Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) filed an emergency rulemaking action Dec. 14 to implement Assembly Bill 195.

The legislation, which Gov. Gavin Newsom signed in June, requires all cannabis products leaving licensed dispensaries via delivery to be recorded in a statewide track-and-trace system, according to the DCC website.

In addition, A.B. 195 would have required the DCC to incorporate cannabis delivery into the state’s existing track-and-trace program by Jan. 1, 2023. However, under the measure, the DCC is permitted to “adopt and readopt emergency regulations to implement that requirement, as specified,” according to the bill text.

The DCC has filed the emergency rulemaking action with the state’s Office of Administrative Law (OAL) to immediately implement the new track-and-trace requirements under A.B. 195.

The department wrote in the emergency filing that the public’s safety and protection is its “highest priority” and that the proposed regulations would allow the DCC to monitor the movement of cannabis products in California effectively and reduce the risk of illicit cannabis products entering the legal market.

Moreover, the DCC wrote that the “increased tracking would allow the department to collect more detailed data regarding the purchase of cannabis goods through delivery. This data will likely be useful in making decisions related to the proper regulation of cannabis businesses within California.”

Cannabis Business Times reached out to the DCC for more information on the emergency action, but department officials declined to comment because the regulatory package is currently under review by the OAL.