California Officials Say Cannabis Deliveries Can Be Made Anywhere, Even in Cities Where Marijuana is Banned
California’s Bureau of Cannabis Control said on Friday that marijuana deliveries can be made anywhere in the state, even in localities that ban marijuana businesses.
The issue has been one of the most debated issues as state regulators hammer out permanent rules for how marijuana is grown, tested, packaged and delivered, reports the Associated Press. Law enforcement groups and the California League of Cities opposed the move.
The delivery issue was included in regulations drafted by the Bureau of Cannabis Control, which issues most retail permits. The rules will become law in 30 days unless California’s Office of Administrative Law objects.
The bureau has maintained that Proposition 64 allows for statewide deliveries. It added explicit language authorizing the practice after several law enforcement officials in anti-cannabis locales insisted they could arrest licensed deliver drivers in cities and counties that ban marijuana.
Supporters of statewide deliveries argued that sick and frail people in those areas who depend on marijuana to relieve pain or anxiety cannot make a lengthy drive for a purchase, so they are being shut out of the legal market.
California Cannabis Industry Association spokesman Josh Drayton said most California cities and counties have exerted local control and don’t allow marijuana, making it impossible for a business such as a beverage maker or nutritional supplement manufacturer to partner with a legal marijuana operator. He said the bureau’s stand against unlicensed operators went too far and will hurt the nascent industry by unintentionally preventing such things as non-licensed celebrities endorsing products and other deals not directly involving marijuana.
“The industry has slowed down enough already without this added hurdle,” Drayton said.