California to ban drone marijuana deliveries

September 11, 2017

The state of California is preparing licensing regulations for marijuana businesses, and an initial plan for the rollout of commercial cannabis rules calls for prohibiting the transport of pot by drones and other unmanned devices.

California’s Bureau of Cannabis Controls is responsible for crafting marijuana business licensing regulations. Last week, the agency released proposed regulations, which include rules on transporting marijuana.

As proposed, the state would ban the transportation of marijuana by aircraft, watercraft, rail, drone, human powered vehicles and unmanned vehicles. The Bureau of Cannabis Controls is calling for all marijuana products to be transported inside commercial vehicles or trailers.

Additionally, the bureau’s rules would require pot distributors to obtain licenses and submit proof of ownership of a vehicle or a valid lease, as well as proof of insurance and identifying information about the vehicles in which they will be transporting marijuana.

Vehicles used to transport pot products would have to contain a box that can be locked and secured inside the car or trailer. The regulations would require that marijuana products be locked in the box during transport, and the vehicle would have to be locked and secured when left unattended.

State regulators likewise plan on mandating that only licensed distributors and their employees be inside a vehicle that is transporting cannabis for deliveries. Furthermore, individuals must be 21 years or older to be inside a vehicle transporting commercial pot, according to the proposed regulations.

California plans to begin issuing licenses to marijuana businesses early next year.