California Coordinates Medical Marijuana Industry

(Summer 2016) Although medical marijuana has been legal in the Golden State for 20 years, the state government will just now start to coordinate consumer safety regulations and business processes among 12 state agencies. Beginning in 2018, the state will require marijuana businesses to obtain one or more of its 17 varieties of licenses.

Nine departments will head up oversight and review. For example, the Medical Board will accelerate its efforts to investigate and discipline physicians who are not following guidelines for recommending cannabis to patients. Meanwhile, California’s Department of Justice will execute background checks on licensees, and the Board of Equalization will distribute permits to retailers, be responsible for tax collections and create a protocol for tracking the movement of all marijuana products.

All told, in 2017 alone, California anticipates creating 126 new jobs with a cost of $24.6 million for its new initiative.

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