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California releases medical marijuana rules

May 1, 2017

More than two decades after legalizing medical marijuana and just months before recreational pot shops are due to start opening, the state of California issued comprehensive rules for the medical cannabis industry. [SF Gate]

The rules, which are now a few days into a 45-day comment period prior to becoming law, aim to make medical marijuana cleaner and safer. Medical pot businesses will face rising regulatory compliance costs, but the increasing expenses are widely seen as a welcome tradeoff for bringing law and order to the industry.

If the new rules become law, all medical cannabis will have to be lab-tested and tracked from seed to sale. Edible pot products would be able to contain a maximum of 10 milligrams of THC per serving and a maximum of 100 milligrams per package.

Medical marijuana dispensaries would face new restrictions, such as only being allowed to operate from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Dispensaries would also have to stop giving away free samples.

Patients would be allowed to buy a maximum of 8 ounces of cannabis flowers a day. Additionally, 42 percent of indoor pot-farm electricity would have to come from renewable sources.

Regulators say medical marijuana business owners could see compliance costs increase by $524 per pound. Marijuana sells wholesale for about $800 to $2,500 per pound.

Overall, compliance costs could increase by $125,000 a year for a small operation and by $310,000 a year for an average pot business. Prices for patients may rise in the short-term but are expected to fall in the long-term.

California’s medical pot market generates about $2.4 billion a year in revenue. There are approximately 1,000 medical marijuana stores in the state and tens of thousands of growers.

The proposed medical marijuana regulatory scheme does not effect recreational use and sales of cannabis. State lawmakers hope to align the rules for the medical and recreational pot markets through legislation later this year. However, there are several special interest groups threatening to derail the process.

California must begin issuing recreational pot shop licenses by Jan. 1, 2018.


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As a medical marijuana patient (disabled due to full-body CRPS/RSD, thanks to a work accident: triple arthrodesis, pain pump didn’t work, neither did a spinal cord stimulator, 11 surgeries, plus I hate the way morphine and methadone make me feel) we already have consistent dosing and packaging. We already know the THC/CBD levels of each strain we choose, as well as the levels of tinctures, edibles, etc. It isn’t we medical marijuana patients that need the lectures–save those for the millions of new rec users who will have unfettered access to drugs they may have used back in the 60s and 70s. What they smoked then in no way resembles what they are about to get their hands on.

And I do not believe that medical users should be subjected to limited amounts if recreational users themselves are not subjected to limited amounts. We have proven, time and again, to have conducted ourselves pretty much aboveboard; I’d go out on a limb and say you have had less issues with medical users than you will have with rec users. But that’s just me.


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It has taken them 2 decades to see how they can get more than 2.4 Billion from everyone. If marijuana helps sick people then it should not cost a arm and leg so government can get their share. Most of the government didn’t want to legalize marijuana but are eager now when they see how much money they can get. What did they do with the 2.4 Bil ?


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If people are truly using it for medical purposes, consistent dosing will be immensely helpful. Cannabis oils and edibles should be the same. If the item is an edible chocolate, each serving size should be consistent, much like a Xanax pill should have consistent dosing. Packaging should remind the user to WAIT before eating a whole Cookie that is supposed to be 4 servings and MAYBE just start with ONE serving.


Now, if the purpose is recreational, I suppose there should be no limits. There are no limits to alcohol purchase.


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Regulators say medical marijuana business owners could see compliance costs increase by $524 per pound. Marijuana sells wholesale for about $800 to $2,500 per pound.

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$800 a pound? Please. That’s absurd. Typical govt. Always putting their collection plate out and driving people into the black market. Govt. never sees the big picture. The crime, the cost of prosecution and jail and probation etc. etc.


Let even small ag take over without the govt. regulations and the stuff sells for $40 a pound instead of $800 and the black market dries up. The same way there’s no black market for beer or wine. Why? Because there’s no profit in it for the black market liquor players.


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8oz per day!!


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How is this even enforceable? I mean, it’s a bag of weed, who’s to say how many miligrams of THC are actually in there… will there be spot-checks? How is the THC measured, and is it consistent from plant to plant, leaf-to-leaf?


At the end of the day, people are going to smoke *whatever* they want (MJ-wise), probably from unlicensed sources, avoiding taxation and regulation; knowing full well that until “the man” spot-checks the smoker, it’s all good.


Sounds like government is getting ready to create a problem they will be needed to solve. Again.


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Interesting timing. Why would medical marijuana businesses want to comply with all this extra regulation when they could switch to the recreational market? Part of me thinks it’s a good idea to demand higher quality and accountability from a Medical business but on the other hand, these regs were needed 20 years ago! I’m not going to go to a doctor for an aspirin prescription so I wonder how the medical marijuana field will differentiate itself from the new recreational field?


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Will the APCD be able to weigh in on this too? Back yard burning season is over for this year so why should we allow burning weed all year, even on non-permissive burn days?

I’m sure there will be a mitigation fee for the recreational users. Go APCD for the GREEN, pay one more Government agency and they’ll have it in the bag. Just like our Brown Governor sez, this is democracy at it’s best.


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10 milligrams per serving?? LOL that won’t do shit!


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