According to the Los Angeles Times, “The state Cannabis Advisory Committee recommended changes that included lifting the $5,000 limit on the amount of pot that can be carried by delivery vans, making it easier for small businesses to sell different products and eventually allowing food and beverages to be served in cannabis lounges. The panel included the proposals in its annual report, which it approved Wednesday.”
This is good news for cannabis business owners that are currently operating legally and those who wish to be. The current restrictions and taxes have stunted the expected growth of the industry since recreational use was first legalized in 2016.
According to the California Bureau of Cannabis Control, the current number of retail storefronts is at a total of 716. This number pales in comparison to the expected thousands by state officials when prop 64 was first approved.
Part of the recommendations the BCC approved and will send to Governor Newsome’s administration include:
- uplifting the current requirement that cannabis goods be within a fully enclosed box, container or cage in a vehicle during transport. (with some restrictions)
- Bureau regulations be amended to allow a licensee that is permitted to serve cannabis onsite to serve non-cannabis infused food and nonalcoholic beverages for consumption onsite, if allowed by local rules.
- the licensing authority increase the $5,000 threshold on delivery vehicles for products sold
These are just a few of the recommendations voted on to send to Governor Newsome’s administration and if approved by his team can have a large impact on the legal retail sale of cannabis.
The increase to the $5,000 threshold of carrying cannabis products can be a huge benefit to the growing number of delivery services across the state. The limit was originally placed to help stop theft but the small cap on products made delivery inefficient and expensive.
We see the amendment to allow licensees to serve both non-cannabis infused food and cannabis on site as huge opportunity for the industry as the popularity of cannabis lounges and cafes continues to grow. This also sets a precedent in dining with cannabis and it’ll be interesting seeing the opportunities of this if passed.
An obstacle of this however is that this is only if allowed by local rules and at the moment about 80% of cities in California do not allow the retail sale of cannabis for recreational use.
These recommendations are just a single step forward towards a more cannabis friendly industry in California and we’ll be watching how Governor Newsome’s team take to the recommendations.
In an industry where the non-legal sale is currently much more beneficial to distributors, hopefully these changes can even out the playing field for legal businesses.
Pre-Roll Packaging USA is a blog by CoolJarz.com. Are you looking for Made in the USA cannabis packaging supplier? Cooljarz.com has everything from pre-roll tubes, dram containers, and oil filling machines. Any questions? Contact Us! We’ll be happy to help.