AB 471: Cannabis catering.
- Session Year: 2023-2024
- House: Assembly
- Latest Version Date: 2023-05-01
Current Status:
Failed
(2024-02-01: From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56.)
Introduced
In Committee
First Chamber
In Committee
Second Chamber
Enacted
What does this bill do?
The bill creates a new state “cannabis caterer” license so licensed caterers can serve cannabis at private, locally approved events where attendees are 21 or older, with consumption areas restricted to adults and not visible from public places. The Department of Cannabis Control must consider how close the event is to youth centers, schools, or places where people under 21 gather; caterers must show the property owner agrees to the event, generally may not serve more than 36 events at one site per year unless the local jurisdiction allows more, and may reuse unopened packaged product at later events.
The summary is provided by generative AI which can make mistakes. For original language, please view the details in the table below.
Existing law, the Control, Regulate and Tax Adult Use of Marijuana Act (AUMA), an initiative measure approved as Proposition 64 at the November 8, 2016, statewide general election, authorizes a person who obtains a state license under AUMA to engage in commercial adult-use cannabis activity pursuant to that license and applicable local ordinances. Existing law, the Medicinal and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MAUCRSA), among other things, consolidates the licensure and regulation of commercial medicinal and adult-use cannabis activities. Under MAUCRSA, the Department of Cannabis Control has sole authority to license and regulate commercial cannabis activity, which MAUCRSA defines to include, among other activities, the delivery and sale of cannabis and cannabis products as provided for therein, and acting as a cannabis event organizer for temporary cannabis events.
This bill would add acting as a cannabis caterer for a private event to the definition of commercial cannabis activity.
MAUCRSA does not supersede or limit the authority of a local jurisdiction to adopt and enforce local ordinances to regulate commercial cannabis businesses within that local jurisdiction. MAUCRSA authorizes the department to issue a state temporary event license to a licensee authorizing onsite cannabis sales and consumption at a county fair event, district agricultural association event, or at another venue expressly approved by a local jurisdiction if, among other requirements, (1) access to the area where cannabis consumption is allowed is restricted to persons 21 years of age or older; (2) cannabis consumption is not visible from any public place or nonage-restricted area; and (3) sale or consumption of alcohol or tobacco is not allowed on the premises.
This bill would authorize the department to issue a state caterer license authorizing the licensee to serve cannabis or cannabis products at a private event approved by a local jurisdiction for the purpose of allowing event attendees 21 years of age or older to consume the cannabis or cannabis products that is not hosted, sponsored, or advertised by the caterer. In determining whether to issue a state caterer license, the bill would require the department to consider the proximity of the private event to a youth recreation center, school, or location where persons under 21 years of age congregate. Under the bill, consumption of alcohol or tobacco would be authorized on the premises of that event, as specified. The bill would prohibit a caterer licensee from serving cannabis or cannabis products at any one premises for more than 36 events in one calendar year, except as specified, and would authorize a caterer licensee to reuse cannabis at a subsequent event, as provided.
MAUCRSA requires a cannabis license applicant to provide certain information relating to the proposed premises where the license privileges would be exercised.
This bill would exempt a caterer license application from those requirements. requirements, except that the bill would require an applicant for a cannabis caterer license to provide proof that the owner of the property on which the private event will be held acknowledges the use of the property for the private event.
AUMA authorizes the Legislature to amend its provisions with a 2/3 vote of both houses to further its purposes and intent.
This bill would state that the bill furthers the purposes and intent of AUMA.
Existing law, the Control, Regulate and Tax Adult Use of Marijuana Act (AUMA), an initiative measure approved as Proposition 64 at the November 8, 2016, statewide general election, authorizes a person who obtains a state license under AUMA to engage in commercial adult-use cannabis activity pursuant to that license and applicable local ordinances. Existing law, the Medicinal and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MAUCRSA), among other things, consolidates the licensure and regulation of commercial medicinal and adult-use cannabis activities. Under MAUCRSA, the Department of Cannabis Control has sole authority to license and regulate commercial cannabis activity, which MAUCRSA defines to include, among other activities, the delivery and sale of cannabis and cannabis products as provided for therein, and acting as a cannabis event organizer for temporary cannabis events.
This bill would add acting as a cannabis caterer for a private event to the definition of commercial cannabis activity.
MAUCRSA does not supersede or limit the authority of a local jurisdiction to adopt and enforce local ordinances to regulate commercial cannabis businesses within that local jurisdiction. MAUCRSA authorizes the department to issue a state temporary event license to a licensee authorizing onsite cannabis sales and consumption at a county fair event, district agricultural association event, or at another venue expressly approved by a local jurisdiction if, among other requirements, (1) access to the area where cannabis consumption is allowed is restricted to persons 21 years of age or older; (2) cannabis consumption is not visible from any public place or nonage-restricted area; and (3) sale or consumption of alcohol or tobacco is not allowed on the premises.
This bill would authorize the department to issue a state caterer license authorizing the licensee to serve cannabis or cannabis products at a private event approved by a local jurisdiction for the purpose of allowing event attendees 21 years of age or older to consume the cannabis or cannabis products that is not hosted, sponsored, or advertised by the caterer. Under the bill, consumption of alcohol or tobacco would be authorized on the premises of that event, as specified. The bill would prohibit a caterer licensee from serving cannabis or cannabis products at any one premises for more than 36 events in one calendar year, except as specified, and would authorize a caterer licensee to reuse cannabis at a subsequent event, as provided.
MAUCRSA requires a cannabis license applicant to provide certain information relating to the proposed premises where the license privileges would be exercised.
This bill would exempt a caterer license application from those requirements.
AUMA authorizes the Legislature to amend its provisions with a 2/3 vote of both houses to further its purposes and intent.
This bill would state that the bill furthers the purposes and intent of AUMA.
For purposes of this division, the following definitions apply:
(a)A-license means a state license issued under this division for cannabis or cannabis products that are intended for adults who are 21 years of age and older and who do not possess a physicians recommendation, or are intended for use on, or consumption by, animals.
(b)A-licensee means any person holding a license under this division for cannabis or cannabis products that are intended for adults who are 21 years of age and older and who do not possess a physicians recommendation, or are intended for use on, or consumption by, animals.
(c)Animal does not include a food animal as defined in Section 4825.1 or livestock as defined in Section 14205 of the Food and Agricultural Code.
(d)Applicant means an owner applying for a state license pursuant to this division.
(e)Batch means a specific quantity of homogeneous cannabis or cannabis product that is one of the following types:
(1)Harvest batch. Harvest batch means a specifically identified quantity of dried flower or trim, leaves, and other cannabis plant matter that is harvested at the same time, and, if applicable, cultivated using the same pesticides and other agricultural chemicals.
(2)Manufactured cannabis batch. Manufactured cannabis batch means either of the following:
(A)An amount of cannabis concentrate or extract that is produced in one production cycle using the same extraction methods and standard operating procedures.
(B)An amount of a type of manufactured cannabis produced in one production cycle using the same formulation and standard operating procedures.
(f)Cannabis means all parts of the plant Cannabis sativa Linnaeus, Cannabis indica, or Cannabis ruderalis, whether growing or not; the seeds thereof; the resin, whether crude or purified, extracted from any part of the plant; and every compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of the plant, its seeds, or resin. Cannabis also means the separated resin, whether crude or purified, obtained from cannabis. Cannabis does not include the mature stalks of the plant, fiber produced from the stalks, oil or cake made from the seeds of the plant, any other compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of the mature stalks (except the resin extracted therefrom), fiber, oil, or cake, or the sterilized seed of the plant which is incapable of germination. For the purpose of this division, cannabis does not mean industrial hemp as defined by Section 11018.5 of the Health and Safety Code.
(g)Cannabis accessories has the same meaning as in Section 11018.2 of the Health and Safety Code.
(h)Cannabis beverage means a form of edible cannabis product that is intended to be consumed in its final state as a beverage.
(i)Cannabis concentrate means cannabis that has undergone a process to concentrate one or more active cannabinoids, thereby increasing the products potency. Resin from glandular trichomes from a cannabis plant is a concentrate for purposes of this division. A cannabis concentrate is not considered food, as defined by Section 109935 of the Health and Safety Code, a processed pet food, as defined by Section 113025 of the Health and Safety Code, or a drug, as defined by Section 109925 of the Health and Safety Code.
(j)Cannabis products has the same meaning as in Section 11018.1 of the Health and Safety Code, and includes cannabis products intended for use on, or consumption by, an animal. Cannabis products are not considered food, as defined by Section 109935 of the Health and Safety Code, a drug, as defined by Section 109925 of the Health and Safety Code, or a cosmetic, as defined by Section 109900 of the Health and Safety Code.
(k)Child resistant means designed or constructed to be significantly difficult for children under five years of age to open, and not difficult for normal adults to use properly.
(l)Commercial cannabis activity includes the cultivation, possession, manufacture, distribution, processing, storing, laboratory testing, packaging, labeling, transportation, delivery, or sale of cannabis and cannabis products as provided for in this division, acting as a cannabis event organizer for temporary cannabis events, or acting as a cannabis caterer for a private event.
(m)Cultivation means any activity involving the planting, growing, harvesting, drying, curing, grading, or trimming of cannabis.
(n)Cultivation site means a location where cannabis is planted, grown, harvested, dried, cured, graded, or trimmed, or a location where any combination of those activities occurs.
(o)Customer means a natural person 21 years of age or older or a natural person 18 years of age or older who possesses a physicians recommendation, or a primary caregiver.
(p)Daycare center has the same meaning as in Section 1596.76 of the Health and Safety Code.
(q)Delivery means the commercial transfer of cannabis or cannabis products to a customer. Delivery also includes the use by a retailer of any technology platform.
(r)Department means the Department of Cannabis Control within the Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency.
(s)Director means the Director of the Department of Cannabis Control.
(t)Distribution means the procurement, sale, and transport of cannabis and cannabis products between licensees.
(u)Distributor means a licensee that is authorized to engage in the distribution of cannabis and cannabis products.
(v)Dried flower means all dead cannabis that has been harvested, dried, cured, or otherwise processed, excluding leaves and stems.
(w)Edible cannabis product means a cannabis product that is intended to be used, in whole or in part, for human or animal consumption, including, but not limited to, chewing gum, but excluding products set forth in Division 15 (commencing with Section 32501) of the Food and Agricultural Code. An edible cannabis product is not considered food, as defined by Section 109935 of the Health and Safety Code, a processed pet food, as defined by Section 113025 of the Health and Safety Code, or a drug, as defined by Section 109925 of the Health and Safety Code.
(x)Fund means the Cannabis Control Fund established pursuant to Section 26210.
(y)Kind means applicable type or designation regarding a particular cannabis variant, origin, or product type, including, but not limited to, strain name, trademark, or production area designation.
(z)Labeling means any label or other written, printed, or graphic matter upon a cannabis product, upon its container or wrapper, or that accompanies any cannabis product.
(aa)Labor peace agreement means an agreement between a licensee and any bona fide labor organization that, at a minimum, protects the states proprietary interests by prohibiting labor organizations and members from engaging in picketing, work stoppages, boycotts, and any other economic interference with the applicants business. This agreement means that the applicant has agreed not to disrupt efforts by the bona fide labor organization to communicate with, and attempt to organize and represent, the applicants employees. The agreement shall provide a bona fide labor organization access at reasonable times to areas in which the applicants employees work, for the purpose of meeting with employees to discuss their right to representation, employment rights under state law, and terms and conditions of employment. This type of agreement shall not mandate a particular method of election or certification of the bona fide labor organization.
(ab)License means a state license issued under this division, and includes both an A-license and an M-license, as well as a testing laboratory license.
(ac)Licensee means any person holding a license under this division, regardless of whether the license held is an A-license or an M-license, and includes the holder of a testing laboratory license.
(ad)Licensing authority means the department and any state agency currently or formerly responsible for the issuance, renewal, or reinstatement of the license, or the state agency authorized to take disciplinary action against the licensee.
(ae)Live plants means living cannabis flowers and plants, including seeds, immature plants, and vegetative stage plants.
(af)Local jurisdiction means a city, county, or city and county.
(ag)Lot means a batch or a specifically identified portion of a batch.
(ah)M-license means a state license issued under this division for commercial cannabis activity involving medicinal cannabis.
(ai)M-licensee means any person holding a license under this division for commercial cannabis activity involving medicinal cannabis.
(aj)Manufacture means to compound, blend, extract, infuse, package, label, or otherwise make or prepare a cannabis product.
(ak)(1)Medicinal cannabis or medicinal cannabis product means cannabis or a cannabis product, respectively, intended to be sold or donated for use pursuant to the Compassionate Use Act of 1996 (Proposition 215), found in Section 11362.5 of the Health and Safety Code, by a medicinal cannabis patient in California who possesses a physicians recommendation, or in compliance with any compassionate use, equity, or other similar program administered by a local jurisdiction.
(2)The amendments made to this subdivision by the act adding this paragraph shall become operative upon completion of the necessary changes to the track and trace program in order to implement the act adding this paragraph, as determined by the Department of Food and Agriculture, or on March 1, 2020, whichever occurs first.
(al)Microbusiness means a licensee that is authorized to engage in cultivation of cannabis on an area less than 10,000 square feet and to act as a licensed distributor, Level 1 manufacturer, and retailer under this division, provided such licensee can demonstrate compliance with all requirements imposed by this division on licensed cultivators, distributors, Level 1 manufacturers, and retailers to the extent the licensee engages in such activities.
(am)Nursery means a licensee that produces only clones, immature plants, seeds, and other agricultural products used specifically for the propagation and cultivation of cannabis.
(an)Operation means any act for which licensure is required under the provisions of this division, or any commercial transfer of cannabis or cannabis products.
(ao)Owner means any of the following:
(1)A person with an aggregate ownership interest of 20 percent or more in the person applying for a license or a licensee, unless the interest is solely a security, lien, or encumbrance.
(2)The chief executive officer of a nonprofit or other entity.
(3)A member of the board of directors of a nonprofit.
(4)An individual who will be participating in the direction, control, or management of the person applying for a license.
(ap)Package means any container or receptacle used for holding cannabis or cannabis products.
(aq)Person includes any individual, firm, partnership, joint venture, association, corporation, limited liability company, estate, trust, business trust, receiver, syndicate, or any other group or combination acting as a unit, and the plural as well as the singular.
(ar)Physicians recommendation means a recommendation by a physician and surgeon that a patient use cannabis provided in accordance with the Compassionate Use Act of 1996 (Proposition 215), found at Section 11362.5 of the Health and Safety Code.
(as)Premises means the designated structure or structures and land specified in the application that is owned, leased, or otherwise held under the control of the applicant or licensee where the commercial cannabis activity will be or is conducted. The premises shall be a contiguous area and shall only be occupied by one licensee.
(at)Primary caregiver has the same meaning as in Section 11362.7 of the Health and Safety Code.
(au)Purchaser means the customer who is engaged in a transaction with a licensee for purposes of obtaining cannabis or cannabis products.
(av)Retailer means a person authorized to engage in the retail sale and delivery of cannabis or cannabis products to customers.
(aw)Sell, sale, and to sell include any transaction whereby, for any consideration, title to cannabis or cannabis products is transferred from one person to another, and includes the delivery of cannabis or cannabis products pursuant to an order placed for the purchase of the same and soliciting or receiving an order for the same, but does not include the return of cannabis or cannabis products by a licensee to the licensee from whom the cannabis or cannabis product was purchased.
(ax)Testing laboratory means a laboratory, facility, or entity in the state that offers or performs tests of cannabis or cannabis products and that is both of the following:
(1)Accredited by an accrediting body that is independent from all other persons involved in commercial cannabis activity in the state.
(2)Licensed by the department.
(ay)Unique identifier means an alphanumeric code or designation issued pursuant to the track and trace program established by the department and used for reference to a specific plant on a licensed premises and any cannabis or cannabis product derived or manufactured from that plant.
(az)Youth center has the same meaning as in Section 11353.1 of the Health and Safety Code.
SEC. 2.Section 26051.5 of the Business and Professions Code is amended to read:26051.5.(a)An applicant for a state license issued pursuant to this division to conduct commercial cannabis activity, as defined in Section 26001, shall do all of the following:
(1)Require that each owner electronically submit to the Department of Justice fingerprint images and related information required by the Department of Justice for the purpose of obtaining information as to the existence and content of a record of state or federal convictions and state and federal arrests, and also information as to the existence and content of a record of state or federal convictions and arrests for which the Department of Justice establishes that the person is free on bail or on their own recognizance pending trial or appeal.
(A)Notwithstanding any other law, the Bureau of Cannabis Control, the Department of Food and Agriculture, the State Department of Public Health, and the department, as defined in Section 26001, may obtain criminal history information from the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for an applicant for any state license under this division, including any license established by a licensing authority, as defined in Section 26001, by regulation pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 26012.
(B)When received, the Department of Justice shall transmit fingerprint images and related information received pursuant to this section to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the purpose of obtaining a federal criminal history records check. The Department of Justice shall review the information returned from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and compile and disseminate a response to the licensing authority.
(C)The Department of Justice shall provide a response to the licensing authority pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (p) of Section 11105 of the Penal Code.
(D)The licensing authority shall request from the Department of Justice subsequent notification service, as provided pursuant to Section 11105.2 of the Penal Code, for applicants.
(E)The Department of Justice shall charge the applicant a fee sufficient to cover the reasonable cost of processing the requests described in this paragraph.
(F)Employees of a licensing authority, as defined in Section 26001, acting on behalf of the department may receive criminal history information pursuant to this section. This subparagraph shall become inoperative on July 1, 2023.
(G)Notwithstanding any other law, a licensing authority may request and receive from a local or state agency certified records of all arrests and convictions, certified records regarding probation, and any and all other related documentation needed to complete an applicant or licensee investigation. A local or state agency may provide those records to a licensing authority upon request.
(2)Except for a caterer license application, provide evidence of the legal right to occupy and use the proposed location and provide a statement from the landowner of real property or that landowners agent where the commercial cannabis activity will occur, as proof to demonstrate the landowner has acknowledged and consented to permit commercial cannabis activities to be conducted on the property by the tenant applicant.
(3)Except for a caterer license application, provide evidence that the proposed location is in compliance with subdivision (b) of Section 26054.
(4)Provide a statement, signed by the applicant under penalty of perjury, that the information provided is complete, true, and accurate.
(5)(A)(i)For an applicant with 20 or more employees, or an applicant with 10 or more employees that submits an application on or after July 1, 2024, provide a notarized statement that the applicant will enter into, or demonstrate that it has already entered into, and will abide by the terms of a labor peace agreement. On and after July 1, 2024, the department shall not renew a license for a licensee with 10 or more employees unless the licensee provides a statement that the licensee has already entered into and will abide by the terms of a labor peace agreement.
(ii)For an applicant with 10 or more employees but less than 20 employees that has not yet entered into a labor peace agreement, provide a notarized statement as a part of its application indicating that the applicant will enter into and abide by the terms of a labor peace agreement within 60 days of employing its 20th employee, or on or before July 1, 2024, whichever is earlier.
(iii)For an applicant with less than 10 employees that has not yet entered into a labor peace agreement, provide a notarized statement as a part of its application indicating that the applicant will enter into and abide by the terms of a labor peace agreement within 60 days of employing its 10th employee or on or before July 1, 2024, whichever is later.
(iv)Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to limit the authority of the department to revoke or suspend a license for a violation of this paragraph.
(B)Compliance with the terms of an applicable labor peace agreement is a condition of licensure. A licensee seeking renewal of any license shall attest to the department that it remains in compliance with the terms of any applicable labor peace agreement.
(C)Any labor organization, or any current or former employee of the relevant licensee, may report to the department that a licensee has failed to provide a truthful attestation of compliance with subparagraph (B).
(i)The reporting party shall provide documentation, in a form and manner required by the department, to substantiate their allegation before the department considers it. The department shall collaborate with such agencies as it deems relevant to evaluate the report.
(ii)If the department substantiates the validity of a report made pursuant to this subparagraph, the department may suspend, revoke, place on probation with terms and conditions, or otherwise discipline the license and fine the licensee.
(D)(i)Any labor organization, or any current or former employee of the relevant licensee, may file a complaint with the Agricultural Labor Relations Board that an organization with which a licensee has entered into a labor peace agreement is not a bona fide labor organization.
(ii)The Agricultural Labor Relations Board shall consider all relevant evidence provided or obtained in rendering a decision on whether the entity is a bona fide labor organization and issue a report with its findings no later than ninety (90) days from receiving the complaint.
(iii)If the Agricultural Labor Relations Board determines that the entity is not a bona fide labor organization, the labor peace agreement shall be null and void. The department shall promptly notify all licensees that have signed labor peace agreements with the entity that the entity was found not to be a bona fide labor organization and offer those licensees a reasonable time period, not to exceed 180 days, to enter into a labor peace agreement with a bona fide labor organization. Failure to enter into a labor peace agreement with a bona fide labor organization after that reasonable time period shall be a violation of this section.
(E)For the purposes of this paragraph, all of the following shall apply:
(i)Employee does not include a supervisor.
(ii)Labor organization means any organization of any kind, or any agency or employee representation committee or plan, in which employees participate and which exists, in whole or in part, for the purpose of dealing with employers concerning grievances, labor disputes, wages, rates of pay, hours of employment, or conditions of work for employees.
(iii)Supervisor means an individual having authority, in the interest of the applicant, to hire, transfer, suspend, lay off, recall, promote, discharge, assign, reward, or discipline other employees, or responsibility to direct them or to adjust their grievances, or effectively to recommend such action, if, in connection with the foregoing, the exercise of that authority is not of a merely routine or clerical nature, but requires the use of independent judgment.
(6)Provide the applicants valid sellers permit number issued pursuant to Part 1 (commencing with Section 6001) of Division 2 of the Revenue and Taxation Code or indicate that the applicant is currently applying for a sellers permit.
(7)Provide any other information required by the department.
(8)For an applicant seeking a cultivation license, provide a statement declaring the applicant is an agricultural employer, as defined in the Alatorre-Zenovich-Dunlap-Berman Agricultural Labor Relations Act of 1975 (Part 3.5 (commencing with Section 1140) of Division 2 of the Labor Code), to the extent not prohibited by law.
(9)Pay all applicable fees required for licensure by the department.
(10)Provide proof of a bond to cover the costs of destruction of cannabis or cannabis products if necessitated by a violation of licensing requirements.
(11)(A)Provide a statement, upon initial application and application for renewal, that the applicant employs, or will employ within one year of receiving or renewing a license, one supervisor and one employee who have successfully completed a Cal-OSHA 30-hour general industry outreach course offered by a training provider that is authorized by an OSHA Training Institute Education Center to provide the course. This paragraph shall not be construed to alter or amend existing requirements for employers to provide occupational safety and health training to employees.
(B)An applicant with only one employee shall not be subject to subparagraph (A).
(C)For purposes of this paragraph employee has the same meaning as provided in subparagraph (B) of paragraph (5) and supervisor has the same meaning as provided in subparagraph (C) of paragraph (5).
(b)An applicant shall also include in the application a detailed description of the applicants operating procedures for all of the following, as required by the department:
(1)Cultivation.
(2)Extraction and infusion methods.
(3)The transportation process.
(4)Inventory procedures.
(5)Quality control procedures.
(6)Security protocols.
(7)For applicants seeking licensure to cultivate, the source or sources of water the applicant will use for cultivation, as provided in subdivisions (a) to (c), inclusive, of Section 26060.1. For purposes of this paragraph, cultivation as used in Section 26060.1 shall have the same meaning as defined in Section 26001. The department shall consult with the State Water Resources Control Board and the Department of Fish and Wildlife in the implementation of this paragraph.
(c)For a license application other than a cannabis caterer license, the applicant shall also provide a complete detailed diagram of the proposed premises wherein the license privileges will be exercised, with sufficient particularity to enable ready determination of the bounds of the premises, showing all boundaries, dimensions, entrances and exits, interior partitions, walls, rooms, and common or shared entryways, and include a brief statement or description of the principal activity to be conducted therein, and, for licenses permitting cultivation, measurements of the planned canopy, including aggregate square footage and individual square footage of separate cultivation areas, if any, roads, water crossings, points of diversion, water storage, and all other facilities and infrastructure related to the cultivation.
(d)Provide a complete list of every person with a financial interest in the person applying for the license as required by the department. For purposes of this subdivision, persons with a financial interest does not include persons whose only interest in a licensee is an interest in a diversified mutual fund, blind trust, or similar instrument.
(e)(1)An applicant for a cannabis caterer license shall also provide proof that the owner of the property on which the private event will be held acknowledges the use of the property for the private event.
(2)For purposes of this subdivision, private event has the same meaning as defined in subdivision (f) of Section 26200.
SEC. 3.Section 26200 of the Business and Professions Code is amended to read:26200.(a)(1)Except as set forth in the Medicinal Cannabis Patients Right of Access Act (Chapter 26 (commencing with Section 26320)), this division shall not be interpreted to supersede or limit the authority of a local jurisdiction to adopt and enforce local ordinances to regulate businesses licensed under this division, including, but not limited to, local zoning and land use requirements, business license requirements, and requirements related to reducing exposure to secondhand smoke, or to completely prohibit the establishment or operation of one or more types of businesses licensed under this division within the local jurisdiction.
(2)Except as set forth in the Medicinal Cannabis Patients Right of Access Act (Chapter 26 (commencing with Section 26320)), this division shall not be interpreted to supersede or limit existing local authority for law enforcement activity, enforcement of local zoning requirements or local ordinances, or enforcement of local license, permit, or other authorization requirements.
(b)This division shall not be interpreted to require the department to undertake local law enforcement responsibilities, enforce local zoning requirements, or enforce local licensing, permitting, or other authorization requirements.
(c)A local jurisdiction shall notify the department upon revocation of any local license, permit, or authorization for a licensee to engage in commercial cannabis activity within the local jurisdiction. Within 60 days of being so informed, the department shall begin the process to determine whether a license issued to the licensee should be suspended or revoked pursuant to Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 26030).
(d)For facilities issued a state license that are located within the incorporated area of a city, the city shall have full power and authority to enforce this division and the regulations promulgated by the department, if delegated by the state. Notwithstanding Sections 101375, 101400, and 101405 of the Health and Safety Code or any contract entered into pursuant thereto, or any other law, the city shall assume complete responsibility for any regulatory function pursuant to this division within the city limits that would otherwise be performed by the county or any county officer or employee, including a county health officer, without liability, cost, or expense to the county.
(e)(1)This division does not prohibit the issuance of a state temporary event license to a licensee authorizing onsite cannabis sales to, and consumption by, persons 21 years of age or older at a county fair event, district agricultural association event, or at another venue expressly approved by a local jurisdiction for the purpose of holding temporary events of this nature, provided that the activities, at a minimum, comply with all the following:
(A)The requirements of paragraphs (1) to (3), inclusive, of subdivision (h).
(B)All participants who are engaged in the onsite retail sale of cannabis or cannabis products at the event are licensed under this division to engage in that activity.
(C)The activities are otherwise consistent with regulations promulgated and adopted by the department governing state temporary event licenses, except as otherwise provided in paragraphs (6), (7), and (8).
(D)A state temporary event license shall only be issued in local jurisdictions that authorize such events.
(E)A licensee who submits an application for a state temporary event license shall, 60 days before the event, provide to the department a list of all licensees that will be providing onsite sales of cannabis or cannabis products at the event. If any changes occur in that list, the licensee shall provide the department with a final updated list to reflect those changes. A person shall not engage in the onsite retail sale of cannabis or cannabis products, or in any way participate in the event, who is not included in the list, including any updates, provided to the department.
(2)The department may impose a civil penalty on any person who violates this subdivision, or any regulations adopted by the department governing state temporary event licenses, in an amount up to three times the amount of the license fee for each violation, consistent with Sections 26018 and 26038.
(3)The department may require the event and all participants to cease operations without delay if in the opinion of the department or local law enforcement it is necessary to protect the immediate public health and safety of the people of the state. The department may also require the event organizer to immediately expel from the event any participant selling cannabis or cannabis products without a license from the department that authorizes the participant to sell cannabis or cannabis products. If the unlicensed participant does not leave the event, the department may require the event and all participants to cease operations immediately.
(4)The order by the department for the event to cease operations pursuant to paragraph (3) does not entitle the event organizer or any participant in the event to a hearing or an appeal of the decision. Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 490) of Division 1.5 and Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 26040) of this division shall not apply to the order by the department for the event to cease operations pursuant to paragraph (3).
(5)The smoking of cannabis or cannabis products at temporary events authorized pursuant to this subdivision is prohibited in locations where smoking is prohibited. For purposes of this section, smoking has the same meaning as defined in subdivision (c) of Section 22950.5.
(6)(A) All licensees who are issued a state temporary event license allowed pursuant to this subdivision may, upon completion or cessation of the temporary event, reconcile unsold inventory of cannabis or cannabis products and return it to the licensees retail premises.
(B)All unsold inventory of cannabis or cannabis products from the temporary event shall be noted in track and trace prior to transport.
(C)All unsold inventory of cannabis or cannabis products from the temporary event shall be in its original packaging in which it was placed pursuant to Chapter 12 (commencing with Section 26120).
(7)The inventory of cannabis or cannabis products authorized to be sold by a state temporary event license pursuant to this subdivision shall only be transported to and from the temporary event by a licensed distributor or licensed microbusiness.
(8)The department shall not deny an application for a state temporary event license pursuant to this subdivision solely on the basis that there is a license issued pursuant to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act (Division 9 (commencing with Section 23000)) for the proposed premises of the event. Furthermore, the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control shall not take any disciplinary action against a person licensed pursuant to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act on the basis of a state temporary event license issued by the department to a licensee pursuant to this subdivision that utilizes the same premises as the person licensed pursuant to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act.
(A)All on- and off-sale privileges of alcoholic beverages at the venue shall be suspended for the day of the event and shall not resume until 6 a.m. on the day after the event has ended.
(B)Alcohol consumption on the venue premises shall be strictly prohibited for the day of the event and shall not resume until 6 a.m. on the day after the event has ended.
(f)(1)For purposes of this subdivision, private event means an event that is not open to the public and is not hosted, sponsored, or advertised by the caterer licensee.
(2)The department may issue a state caterer license that authorizes the licensee to serve cannabis and cannabis products at a private event approved by a local jurisdiction for the purpose of allowing event attendees 21 years of age or older to consume the cannabis.
(3)In determining whether to issue a state caterer license pursuant to paragraph (2), the department shall consider the proximity of the private event to any of the following:
(A)A youth recreation center.
(B)A school.
(C)A location where persons under 21 years of age congregate.
(3)(4)Cannabis or a cannabis product that a caterer licensee brought to, but did not serve at, an event authorized pursuant to this subdivision may be brought to and served at a subsequent event authorized pursuant to this subdivision by the caterer licensee if the cannabis or cannabis product has not been removed from its original packaging in which it was placed pursuant to Chapter 12 (commencing with Section 26120).
(4)(5)Access to the area where cannabis is consumed at a catered private event authorized pursuant to this subdivision shall be restricted to persons 21 years of age or older.
(5)(6)Cannabis consumption at a catered private event authorized pursuant to this subdivision shall not be visible from any public place or nonage-restricted area.
(6)(7)Alcohol or tobacco may be consumed on the premises of an event approved to be catered pursuant to this subdivision to the extent authorized by the local jurisdiction and if no alcoholic beverage license is required pursuant to Section 23399.1.
(7)(8)A caterer licensee shall not serve cannabis or cannabis products at any one premises for more than 36 events in one calendar year, unless the local jurisdiction determines additional events may be catered to satisfy substantial public demand.
(8)(9)A caterer licensee shall not sell, serve, or provide alcoholic beverages on the premises of an event approved to be catered pursuant to this subdivision.
(g)This division, or any regulations promulgated thereunder, shall not be deemed to limit the authority or remedies of a city, county, or city and county under any provision of law, including, but not limited to, Section 7 of Article XI of the California Constitution.
(h)Notwithstanding paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 11362.3 of the Health and Safety Code, a local jurisdiction may allow for the smoking, vaporizing, and ingesting of cannabis or cannabis products on the premises of a retailer or microbusiness licensed under this division if all of the following are met:
(1)Access to the area where cannabis consumption is allowed is restricted to persons 21 years of age or older.
(2)Cannabis consumption is not visible from any public place or nonage-restricted area.
(3)Sale or consumption of alcohol or tobacco is not allowed on the premises.
(i)This division shall not be interpreted to supersede Section 6404.5 of the Labor Code.
(j)This section does not alter or affect the prohibition on the sale of alcoholic beverages by a licensee, as provided in Section 26054, on or at a venue premises licensed under this division.
SEC. 4.The Legislature finds and declares that this act furthers the purposes and intent of the Control, Regulate and Tax Adult Use of Marijuana Act.
For purposes of this division, the following definitions apply:
(a)A-license means a state license issued under this division for cannabis or cannabis products that are intended for adults who are 21 years of age and older and who do not possess a physicians recommendation, or are intended for use on, or consumption by, animals.
(b)A-licensee means any person holding a license under this division for cannabis or cannabis products that are intended for adults who are 21 years of age and older and who do not possess a physicians recommendation, or are intended for use on, or consumption by, animals.
(c)Animal does not include a food animal as defined in Section 4825.1 or livestock as defined in Section 14205 of the Food and Agricultural Code.
(d)Applicant means an owner applying for a state license pursuant to this division.
(e)Batch means a specific quantity of homogeneous cannabis or cannabis product that is one of the following types:
(1)Harvest batch. Harvest batch means a specifically identified quantity of dried flower or trim, leaves, and other cannabis plant matter that is harvested at the same time, and, if applicable, cultivated using the same pesticides and other agricultural chemicals.
(2)Manufactured cannabis batch. Manufactured cannabis batch means either of the following:
(A)An amount of cannabis concentrate or extract that is produced in one production cycle using the same extraction methods and standard operating procedures.
(B)An amount of a type of manufactured cannabis produced in one production cycle using the same formulation and standard operating procedures.
(f)Cannabis means all parts of the plant Cannabis sativa Linnaeus, Cannabis indica, or Cannabis ruderalis, whether growing or not; the seeds thereof; the resin, whether crude or purified, extracted from any part of the plant; and every compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of the plant, its seeds, or resin. Cannabis also means the separated resin, whether crude or purified, obtained from cannabis. Cannabis does not include the mature stalks of the plant, fiber produced from the stalks, oil or cake made from the seeds of the plant, any other compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of the mature stalks (except the resin extracted therefrom), fiber, oil, or cake, or the sterilized seed of the plant which is incapable of germination. For the purpose of this division, cannabis does not mean industrial hemp as defined by Section 11018.5 of the Health and Safety Code.
(g)Cannabis accessories has the same meaning as in Section 11018.2 of the Health and Safety Code.
(h)Cannabis beverage means a form of edible cannabis product that is intended to be consumed in its final state as a beverage.
(i)Cannabis concentrate means cannabis that has undergone a process to concentrate one or more active cannabinoids, thereby increasing the products potency. Resin from glandular trichomes from a cannabis plant is a concentrate for purposes of this division. A cannabis concentrate is not considered food, as defined by Section 109935 of the Health and Safety Code, a processed pet food, as defined by Section 113025 of the Health and Safety Code, or a drug, as defined by Section 109925 of the Health and Safety Code.
(j)Cannabis products has the same meaning as in Section 11018.1 of the Health and Safety Code, and includes cannabis products intended for use on, or consumption by, an animal. Cannabis products are not considered food, as defined by Section 109935 of the Health and Safety Code, a drug, as defined by Section 109925 of the Health and Safety Code, or a cosmetic, as defined by Section 109900 of the Health and Safety Code.
(k)Child resistant means designed or constructed to be significantly difficult for children under five years of age to open, and not difficult for normal adults to use properly.
(l)Commercial cannabis activity includes the cultivation, possession, manufacture, distribution, processing, storing, laboratory testing, packaging, labeling, transportation, delivery, or sale of cannabis and cannabis products as provided for in this division, or acting as a cannabis event organizer for temporary cannabis events. events, or acting as a cannabis caterer for a private event.
(m)Cultivation means any activity involving the planting, growing, harvesting, drying, curing, grading, or trimming of cannabis.
(n)Cultivation site means a location where cannabis is planted, grown, harvested, dried, cured, graded, or trimmed, or a location where any combination of those activities occurs.
(o)Customer means a natural person 21 years of age or older or a natural person 18 years of age or older who possesses a physicians recommendation, or a primary caregiver.
(p)Daycare center has the same meaning as in Section 1596.76 of the Health and Safety Code.
(q)Delivery means the commercial transfer of cannabis or cannabis products to a customer. Delivery also includes the use by a retailer of any technology platform.
(r)Department means the Department of Cannabis Control within the Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency.
(s)Director means the Director of the Department of Cannabis Control.
(t)Distribution means the procurement, sale, and transport of cannabis and cannabis products between licensees.
(u)Distributor means a licensee that is authorized to engage in the distribution of cannabis and cannabis products.
(v)Dried flower means all dead cannabis that has been harvested, dried, cured, or otherwise processed, excluding leaves and stems.
(w)Edible cannabis product means a cannabis product that is intended to be used, in whole or in part, for human or animal consumption, including, but not limited to, chewing gum, but excluding products set forth in Division 15 (commencing with Section 32501) of the Food and Agricultural Code. An edible cannabis product is not considered food, as defined by Section 109935 of the Health and Safety Code, a processed pet food, as defined by Section 113025 of the Health and Safety Code, or a drug, as defined by Section 109925 of the Health and Safety Code.
(x)Fund means the Cannabis Control Fund established pursuant to Section 26210.
(y)Kind means applicable type or designation regarding a particular cannabis variant, origin, or product type, including, but not limited to, strain name, trademark, or production area designation.
(z)Labeling means any label or other written, printed, or graphic matter upon a cannabis product, upon its container or wrapper, or that accompanies any cannabis product.
(aa)Labor peace agreement means an agreement between a licensee and any bona fide labor organization that, at a minimum, protects the states proprietary interests by prohibiting labor organizations and members from engaging in picketing, work stoppages, boycotts, and any other economic interference with the applicants business. This agreement means that the applicant has agreed not to disrupt efforts by the bona fide labor organization to communicate with, and attempt to organize and represent, the applicants employees. The agreement shall provide a bona fide labor organization access at reasonable times to areas in which the applicants employees work, for the purpose of meeting with employees to discuss their right to representation, employment rights under state law, and terms and conditions of employment. This type of agreement shall not mandate a particular method of election or certification of the bona fide labor organization.
(ab)License means a state license issued under this division, and includes both an A-license and an M-license, as well as a testing laboratory license.
(ac)Licensee means any person holding a license under this division, regardless of whether the license held is an A-license or an M-license, and includes the holder of a testing laboratory license.
(ad)Licensing authority means the department and any state agency currently or formerly responsible for the issuance, renewal, or reinstatement of the license, or the state agency authorized to take disciplinary action against the licensee.
(ae)Live plants means living cannabis flowers and plants, including seeds, immature plants, and vegetative stage plants.
(af)Local jurisdiction means a city, county, or city and county.
(ag)Lot means a batch or a specifically identified portion of a batch.
(ah)M-license means a state license issued under this division for commercial cannabis activity involving medicinal cannabis.
(ai)M-licensee means any person holding a license under this division for commercial cannabis activity involving medicinal cannabis.
(aj)Manufacture means to compound, blend, extract, infuse, package, label, or otherwise make or prepare a cannabis product.
(ak)(1)Medicinal cannabis or medicinal cannabis product means cannabis or a cannabis product, respectively, intended to be sold or donated for use pursuant to the Compassionate Use Act of 1996 (Proposition 215), found in Section 11362.5 of the Health and Safety Code, by a medicinal cannabis patient in California who possesses a physicians recommendation, or in compliance with any compassionate use, equity, or other similar program administered by a local jurisdiction.
(2)The amendments made to this subdivision by the act adding this paragraph shall become operative upon completion of the necessary changes to the track and trace program in order to implement the act adding this paragraph, as determined by the Department of Food and Agriculture, or on March 1, 2020, whichever occurs first.
(al)Microbusiness means a licensee that is authorized to engage in cultivation of cannabis on an area less than 10,000 square feet and to act as a licensed distributor, Level 1 manufacturer, and retailer under this division, provided such licensee can demonstrate compliance with all requirements imposed by this division on licensed cultivators, distributors, Level 1 manufacturers, and retailers to the extent the licensee engages in such activities.
(am)Nursery means a licensee that produces only clones, immature plants, seeds, and other agricultural products used specifically for the propagation and cultivation of cannabis.
(an)Operation means any act for which licensure is required under the provisions of this division, or any commercial transfer of cannabis or cannabis products.
(ao)Owner means any of the following:
(1)A person with an aggregate ownership interest of 20 percent or more in the person applying for a license or a licensee, unless the interest is solely a security, lien, or encumbrance.
(2)The chief executive officer of a nonprofit or other entity.
(3)A member of the board of directors of a nonprofit.
(4)An individual who will be participating in the direction, control, or management of the person applying for a license.
(ap)Package means any container or receptacle used for holding cannabis or cannabis products.
(aq)Person includes any individual, firm, partnership, joint venture, association, corporation, limited liability company, estate, trust, business trust, receiver, syndicate, or any other group or combination acting as a unit, and the plural as well as the singular.
(ar)Physicians recommendation means a recommendation by a physician and surgeon that a patient use cannabis provided in accordance with the Compassionate Use Act of 1996 (Proposition 215), found at Section 11362.5 of the Health and Safety Code.
(as)Premises means the designated structure or structures and land specified in the application that is owned, leased, or otherwise held under the control of the applicant or licensee where the commercial cannabis activity will be or is conducted. The premises shall be a contiguous area and shall only be occupied by one licensee.
(at)Primary caregiver has the same meaning as in Section 11362.7 of the Health and Safety Code.
(au)Purchaser means the customer who is engaged in a transaction with a licensee for purposes of obtaining cannabis or cannabis products.
(av)Retailer means a person authorized to engage in the retail sale and delivery of cannabis or cannabis products to customers.
(aw)Sell, sale, and to sell include any transaction whereby, for any consideration, title to cannabis or cannabis products is transferred from one person to another, and includes the delivery of cannabis or cannabis products pursuant to an order placed for the purchase of the same and soliciting or receiving an order for the same, but does not include the return of cannabis or cannabis products by a licensee to the licensee from whom the cannabis or cannabis product was purchased.
(ax)Testing laboratory means a laboratory, facility, or entity in the state that offers or performs tests of cannabis or cannabis products and that is both of the following:
(1)Accredited by an accrediting body that is independent from all other persons involved in commercial cannabis activity in the state.
(2)Licensed by the department.
(ay)Unique identifier means an alphanumeric code or designation issued pursuant to the track and trace program established by the department and used for reference to a specific plant on a licensed premises and any cannabis or cannabis product derived or manufactured from that plant.
(az)Youth center has the same meaning as in Section 11353.1 of the Health and Safety Code.
SEC. 2.Section 26051.5 of the Business and Professions Code is amended to read:26051.5.(a)An applicant for a state license issued pursuant to this division to conduct commercial cannabis activity, as defined in Section 26001, shall do all of the following:
(1)Require that each owner electronically submit to the Department of Justice fingerprint images and related information required by the Department of Justice for the purpose of obtaining information as to the existence and content of a record of state or federal convictions and state and federal arrests, and also information as to the existence and content of a record of state or federal convictions and arrests for which the Department of Justice establishes that the person is free on bail or on their own recognizance pending trial or appeal.
(A)Notwithstanding any other law, the Bureau of Cannabis Control, the Department of Food and Agriculture, the State Department of Public Health, and the department, as defined in Section 26001, may obtain criminal history information from the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for an applicant for any state license under this division, including any license established by a licensing authority, as defined in Section 26001, by regulation pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 26012.
(B)When received, the Department of Justice shall transmit fingerprint images and related information received pursuant to this section to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the purpose of obtaining a federal criminal history records check. The Department of Justice shall review the information returned from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and compile and disseminate a response to the licensing authority.
(C)The Department of Justice shall provide a response to the licensing authority pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (p) of Section 11105 of the Penal Code.
(D)The licensing authority shall request from the Department of Justice subsequent notification service, as provided pursuant to Section 11105.2 of the Penal Code, for applicants.
(E)The Department of Justice shall charge the applicant a fee sufficient to cover the reasonable cost of processing the requests described in this paragraph.
(F)Employees of a licensing authority, as defined in Section 26001, acting on behalf of the department may receive criminal history information pursuant to this section. This subparagraph shall become inoperative on July 1, 2023.
(G)Notwithstanding any other law, a licensing authority may request and receive from a local or state agency certified records of all arrests and convictions, certified records regarding probation, and any and all other related documentation needed to complete an applicant or licensee investigation. A local or state agency may provide those records to a licensing authority upon request.
(2)Provide Except for a caterer license application, provide evidence of the legal right to occupy and use the proposed location and provide a statement from the landowner of real property or that landowners agent where the commercial cannabis activity will occur, as proof to demonstrate the landowner has acknowledged and consented to permit commercial cannabis activities to be conducted on the property by the tenant applicant.
(3)Provide Except for a caterer license application, provide evidence that the proposed location is in compliance with subdivision (b) of Section 26054.
(4)Provide a statement, signed by the applicant under penalty of perjury, that the information provided is complete, true, and accurate.
(5)(A)(i)For an applicant with 20 or more employees, or an applicant with 10 or more employees that submits an application on or after July 1, 2024, provide a notarized statement that the applicant will enter into, or demonstrate that it has already entered into, and will abide by the terms of a labor peace agreement. On and after July 1, 2024, the department shall not renew a license for a licensee with 10 or more employees unless the licensee provides a statement that the licensee has already entered into and will abide by the terms of a labor peace agreement.
(ii)For an applicant with 10 or more employees but less than 20 employees that has not yet entered into a labor peace agreement, provide a notarized statement as a part of its application indicating that the applicant will enter into and abide by the terms of a labor peace agreement within 60 days of employing its 20th employee, or on or before July 1, 2024, whichever is earlier.
(iii)For an applicant with less than 10 employees that has not yet entered into a labor peace agreement, provide a notarized statement as a part of its application indicating that the applicant will enter into and abide by the terms of a labor peace agreement within 60 days of employing its 10th employee or on or before July 1, 2024, whichever is later.
(iv)Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to limit the authority of the department to revoke or suspend a license for a violation of this paragraph.
(B)Compliance with the terms of an applicable labor peace agreement is a condition of licensure. A licensee seeking renewal of any license shall attest to the department that it remains in compliance with the terms of any applicable labor peace agreement.
(C)Any labor organization, or any current or former employee of the relevant licensee, may report to the department that a licensee has failed to provide a truthful attestation of compliance with subparagraph (B).
(i)The reporting party shall provide documentation, in a form and manner required by the department, to substantiate their allegation before the department considers it. The department shall collaborate with such agencies as it deems relevant to evaluate the report.
(ii)If the department substantiates the validity of a report made pursuant to this subparagraph, the department may suspend, revoke, place on probation with terms and conditions, or otherwise discipline the license and fine the licensee.
(D)(i)Any labor organization, or any current or former employee of the relevant licensee, may file a complaint with the Agricultural Labor Relations Board that an organization with which a licensee has entered into a labor peace agreement is not a bona fide labor organization.
(ii)The Agricultural Labor Relations Board shall consider all relevant evidence provided or obtained in rendering a decision on whether the entity is a bona fide labor organization and issue a report with its findings no later than ninety (90) days from receiving the complaint.
(iii)If the Agricultural Labor Relations Board determines that the entity is not a bona fide labor organization, the labor peace agreement shall be null and void. The department shall promptly notify all licensees that have signed labor peace agreements with the entity that the entity was found not to be a bona fide labor organization and offer those licensees a reasonable time period, not to exceed 180 days, to enter into a labor peace agreement with a bona fide labor organization. Failure to enter into a labor peace agreement with a bona fide labor organization after that reasonable time period shall be a violation of this section.
(E)For the purposes of this paragraph, all of the following shall apply:
(i)Employee does not include a supervisor.
(ii)Labor organization means any organization of any kind, or any agency or employee representation committee or plan, in which employees participate and which exists, in whole or in part, for the purpose of dealing with employers concerning grievances, labor disputes, wages, rates of pay, hours of employment, or conditions of work for employees.
(iii)Supervisor means an individual having authority, in the interest of the applicant, to hire, transfer, suspend, lay off, recall, promote, discharge, assign, reward, or discipline other employees, or responsibility to direct them or to adjust their grievances, or effectively to recommend such action, if, in connection with the foregoing, the exercise of that authority is not of a merely routine or clerical nature, but requires the use of independent judgment.
(6)Provide the applicants valid sellers permit number issued pursuant to Part 1 (commencing with Section 6001) of Division 2 of the Revenue and Taxation Code or indicate that the applicant is currently applying for a sellers permit.
(7)Provide any other information required by the department.
(8)For an applicant seeking a cultivation license, provide a statement declaring the applicant is an agricultural employer, as defined in the Alatorre-Zenovich-Dunlap-Berman Agricultural Labor Relations Act of 1975 (Part 3.5 (commencing with Section 1140) of Division 2 of the Labor Code), to the extent not prohibited by law.
(9)Pay all applicable fees required for licensure by the department.
(10)Provide proof of a bond to cover the costs of destruction of cannabis or cannabis products if necessitated by a violation of licensing requirements.
(11)(A)Provide a statement, upon initial application and application for renewal, that the applicant employs, or will employ within one year of receiving or renewing a license, one supervisor and one employee who have successfully completed a Cal-OSHA 30-hour general industry outreach course offered by a training provider that is authorized by an OSHA Training Institute Education Center to provide the course. This paragraph shall not be construed to alter or amend existing requirements for employers to provide occupational safety and health training to employees.
(B)An applicant with only one employee shall not be subject to subparagraph (A).
(C)For purposes of this paragraph employee has the same meaning as provided in subparagraph (B) of paragraph (5) and supervisor has the same meaning as provided in subparagraph (C) of paragraph (5).
(b)An applicant shall also include in the application a detailed description of the applicants operating procedures for all of the following, as required by the department:
(1)Cultivation.
(2)Extraction and infusion methods.
(3)The transportation process.
(4)Inventory procedures.
(5)Quality control procedures.
(6)Security protocols.
(7)For applicants seeking licensure to cultivate, the source or sources of water the applicant will use for cultivation, as provided in subdivisions (a) to (c), inclusive, of Section 26060.1. For purposes of this paragraph, cultivation as used in Section 26060.1 shall have the same meaning as defined in Section 26001. The department shall consult with the State Water Resources Control Board and the Department of Fish and Wildlife in the implementation of this paragraph.
(c)The For a license application other than a cannabis caterer license, the applicant shall also provide a complete detailed diagram of the proposed premises wherein the license privileges will be exercised, with sufficient particularity to enable ready determination of the bounds of the premises, showing all boundaries, dimensions, entrances and exits, interior partitions, walls, rooms, and common or shared entryways, and include a brief statement or description of the principal activity to be conducted therein, and, for licenses permitting cultivation, measurements of the planned canopy, including aggregate square footage and individual square footage of separate cultivation areas, if any, roads, water crossings, points of diversion, water storage, and all other facilities and infrastructure related to the cultivation.
(d)Provide a complete list of every person with a financial interest in the person applying for the license as required by the department. For purposes of this subdivision, persons with a financial interest does not include persons whose only interest in a licensee is an interest in a diversified mutual fund, blind trust, or similar instrument.
SEC. 3.Section 26200 of the Business and Professions Code is amended to read:26200.(a)(1)Except as set forth in the Medicinal Cannabis Patients Right of Access Act (Chapter 26 (commencing with Section 26320)), this division shall not be interpreted to supersede or limit the authority of a local jurisdiction to adopt and enforce local ordinances to regulate businesses licensed under this division, including, but not limited to, local zoning and land use requirements, business license requirements, and requirements related to reducing exposure to secondhand smoke, or to completely prohibit the establishment or operation of one or more types of businesses licensed under this division within the local jurisdiction.
(2)Except as set forth in the Medicinal Cannabis Patients Right of Access Act (Chapter 26 (commencing with Section 26320)), this division shall not be interpreted to supersede or limit existing local authority for law enforcement activity, enforcement of local zoning requirements or local ordinances, or enforcement of local license, permit, or other authorization requirements.
(b)This division shall not be interpreted to require the department to undertake local law enforcement responsibilities, enforce local zoning requirements, or enforce local licensing, permitting, or other authorization requirements.
(c)A local jurisdiction shall notify the department upon revocation of any local license, permit, or authorization for a licensee to engage in commercial cannabis activity within the local jurisdiction. Within 60 days of being so informed, the department shall begin the process to determine whether a license issued to the licensee should be suspended or revoked pursuant to Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 26030).
(d)For facilities issued a state license that are located within the incorporated area of a city, the city shall have full power and authority to enforce this division and the regulations promulgated by the department, if delegated by the state. Notwithstanding Sections 101375, 101400, and 101405 of the Health and Safety Code or any contract entered into pursuant thereto, or any other law, the city shall assume complete responsibility for any regulatory function pursuant to this division within the city limits that would otherwise be performed by the county or any county officer or employee, including a county health officer, without liability, cost, or expense to the county.
(e)(1)This division does not prohibit the issuance of a state temporary event license to a licensee authorizing onsite cannabis sales to, and consumption by, persons 21 years of age or older at a county fair event, district agricultural association event, or at another venue expressly approved by a local jurisdiction for the purpose of holding temporary events of this nature, provided that the activities, at a minimum, comply with all the following:
(A)The requirements of paragraphs (1) to (3), inclusive, of subdivision (g). (h).
(B)All participants who are engaged in the onsite retail sale of cannabis or cannabis products at the event are licensed under this division to engage in that activity.
(C)The activities are otherwise consistent with regulations promulgated and adopted by the department governing state temporary event licenses, except as otherwise provided in paragraphs (6), (7), and (8).
(D)A state temporary event license shall only be issued in local jurisdictions that authorize such events.
(E)A licensee who submits an application for a state temporary event license shall, 60 days before the event, provide to the department a list of all licensees that will be providing onsite sales of cannabis or cannabis products at the event. If any changes occur in that list, the licensee shall provide the department with a final updated list to reflect those changes. A person shall not engage in the onsite retail sale of cannabis or cannabis products, or in any way participate in the event, who is not included in the list, including any updates, provided to the department.
(2)The department may impose a civil penalty on any person who violates this subdivision, or any regulations adopted by the department governing state temporary event licenses, in an amount up to three times the amount of the license fee for each violation, consistent with Sections 26018 and 26038.
(3)The department may require the event and all participants to cease operations without delay if in the opinion of the department or local law enforcement it is necessary to protect the immediate public health and safety of the people of the state. The department may also require the event organizer to immediately expel from the event any participant selling cannabis or cannabis products without a license from the department that authorizes the participant to sell cannabis or cannabis products. If the unlicensed participant does not leave the event, the department may require the event and all participants to cease operations immediately.
(4)The order by the department for the event to cease operations pursuant to paragraph (3) does not entitle the event organizer or any participant in the event to a hearing or an appeal of the decision. Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 490) of Division 1.5 and Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 26040) of this division shall not apply to the order by the department for the event to cease operations pursuant to paragraph (3).
(5)The smoking of cannabis or cannabis products at temporary events authorized pursuant to this subdivision is prohibited in locations where smoking is prohibited. For purposes of this section, smoking has the same meaning as defined in subdivision (c) of Section 22950.5.
(6)(A) All licensees who are issued a state temporary event license allowed pursuant to this subdivision may, upon completion or cessation of the temporary event, reconcile unsold inventory of cannabis or cannabis products and return it to the licensees retail premises.
(B)All unsold inventory of cannabis or cannabis products from the temporary event shall be noted in track and trace prior to transport.
(C)All unsold inventory of cannabis or cannabis products from the temporary event shall be in its original packaging in which it was placed pursuant to Chapter 12 (commencing with Section 26120).
(7)The inventory of cannabis or cannabis products authorized to be sold by a state temporary event license pursuant to this subdivision shall only be transported to and from the temporary event by a licensed distributor or licensed microbusiness.
(8)The department shall not deny an application for a state temporary event license pursuant to this subdivision solely on the basis that there is a license issued pursuant to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act (Division 9 (commencing with Section 23000)) for the proposed premises of the event. Furthermore, the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control shall not take any disciplinary action against a person licensed pursuant to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act on the basis of a state temporary event license issued by the department to a licensee pursuant to this subdivision that utilizes the same premises as the person licensed pursuant to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act.
(A)All on- and off-sale privileges of alcoholic beverages at the venue shall be suspended for the day of the event and shall not resume until 6 a.m. on the day after the event has ended.
(B)Alcohol consumption on the venue premises shall be strictly prohibited for the day of the event and shall not resume until 6 a.m. on the day after the event has ended.
(f)(1)For purposes of this subdivision, private event means an event that is not open to the public and is not hosted, sponsored, or advertised by the caterer licensee.
(2)The department may issue a state caterer license that authorizes the licensee to serve cannabis and cannabis products at a private event approved by a local jurisdiction for the purpose of allowing event attendees 21 years of age or older to consume the cannabis.
(3)Cannabis or a cannabis product that a caterer licensee brought to, but did not serve at, an event authorized pursuant to this subdivision may be brought to and served at a subsequent event authorized pursuant to this subdivision by the caterer licensee if the cannabis or cannabis product has not been removed from its original packaging in which it was placed pursuant to Chapter 12 (commencing with Section 26120).
(4)Access to the area where cannabis is consumed at a catered private event authorized pursuant to this subdivision shall be restricted to persons 21 years of age or older.
(5)Cannabis consumption at a catered private event authorized pursuant to this subdivision shall not be visible from any public place or nonage-restricted area.
(6)Alcohol or tobacco may be consumed on the premises of an event approved to be catered pursuant to this subdivision to the extent authorized by the local jurisdiction and if no alcoholic beverage license is required pursuant to Section 23399.1.
(7)A caterer licensee shall not serve cannabis or cannabis products at any one premises for more than 36 events in one calendar year, unless the local jurisdiction determines additional events may be catered to satisfy substantial public demand.
(8)A caterer licensee shall not sell, serve, or provide alcoholic beverages on the premises of an event approved to be catered pursuant to this subdivision.
(f)(g)This division, or any regulations promulgated thereunder, shall not be deemed to limit the authority or remedies of a city, county, or city and county under any provision of law, including, but not limited to, Section 7 of Article XI of the California Constitution.
(g)(h)Notwithstanding paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 11362.3 of the Health and Safety Code, a local jurisdiction may allow for the smoking, vaporizing, and ingesting of cannabis or cannabis products on the premises of a retailer or microbusiness licensed under this division if all of the following are met:
(1)Access to the area where cannabis consumption is allowed is restricted to persons 21 years of age or older.
(2)Cannabis consumption is not visible from any public place or nonage-restricted area.
(3)Sale or consumption of alcohol or tobacco is not allowed on the premises.
(h)(i)This division shall not be interpreted to supersede Section 6404.5 of the Labor Code.
(i)(j)This section does not alter or affect the prohibition on the sale of alcoholic beverages by a licensee, as provided in Section 26054, on or at a venue premises licensed under this division.
SEC. 4.The Legislature finds and declares that this act furthers the purposes and intent of the Control, Regulate and Tax Adult Use of Marijuana Act.
|
Date
|
Status
|
|---|---|
| Feb 1, 2024 | From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56. |
| Jan 31, 2024 | Died pursuant to Art. IV, Sec. 10(c) of the Constitution. |
| May 18, 2023 | In committee: Held under submission. |
| May 18, 2023 | Joint Rule 62(a), file notice suspended. (Page 1580.) |
| May 17, 2023 | In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file. |
| May 2, 2023 | Re-referred to Com. on APPR. |
| May 1, 2023 | Read second time and amended. |
| Apr 27, 2023 | From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 17. Noes 4.) (April 26). |
| Mar 28, 2023 | From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on G.O. (Ayes 14. Noes 3.) (March 28). Re-referred to Com. on G.O. |
| Feb 17, 2023 | Referred to Coms. on B. & P. and G.O. |
| Feb 7, 2023 | From printer. May be heard in committee March 9. |
| Feb 6, 2023 | Read first time. To print. |
|
Date
|
Description
|
Location
|
Votes
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 26, 2023 | Do pass as amended and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] | Assembly Standing Committee on Governmental Organization |
Passed |
|
| Mar 28, 2023 | Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Governmental Organization] | Assembly Standing Committee on Business and Professions |
Passed |
This list shows positions taken on this bill by organizations on the date displayed, which is linked to the original source.
Positions by individuals are not included.
|
Organization
|
Position
|
Date
|
|---|---|---|
| America Cancer Society Action Network | * Against | Apr 26, 2023 |
| American Heart Association | * Against | Apr 26, 2023 |
| American Lung Association | * Against | Apr 26, 2023 |
| California Cannabis Industry Association | * Support | Apr 26, 2023 |
| California Cannabis Manufacturers Association | * Support | Apr 26, 2023 |
| California minority alliance | * Support | Apr 26, 2023 |
| California Normal | * Support | Apr 26, 2023 |
| California Travel Association | * Support | Apr 26, 2023 |
| Cannabis Distributors Association | * Support | Apr 26, 2023 |
| Coachella valley cannabis alliance network | * Support | Apr 26, 2023 |
| Long Beach Collective Association | * Support | Apr 26, 2023 |
| Social Equity Los Angeles | * Support | Apr 26, 2023 |
| The United Cannabis Business Association | * Support | Apr 26, 2023 |
| UCBA | * Support | Apr 26, 2023 |
Date of Hearing: May 17, 2023
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Chris Holden, Chair
ABPCA Bill Id:AB 471
Author:(Kalra) – As Amended Ver:May 1, 2023
Policy Committee: | Business and Professions | Vote: | 14 - 3 |
Governmental Organization | 17 - 4 | ||
|
|
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: No Reimbursable: No
SUMMARY:
This bill authorizes the Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) to issue a state caterer license that permits the licensee to serve cannabis at a private event that has received approval from a local jurisdiction for the purpose of allowing event attendees to consume cannabis.
FISCAL EFFECT:
DCC estimates one-time costs of $420,000 and ongoing annual costs of $305,000 (Cannabis Control Fund), although DCC states it is still assessing the fiscal impacts of incorporating this new license type. DCC expects it will need to conduct an economic assessment to determine a fee for the new license type and for an information technology upgrade to the licensing system. DCC also anticipates needing two additional program analysts to process additional license applications, provide increased compliance support, and provide applicants and licensees with technical assistance.
COMMENTS:
- Purpose. This bill is sponsored by the United Cannabis Business Association. According to the author:
Despite recreational cannabis becoming an integral part of the California experience for visitors and residents alike, the state has yet to regulate cannabis catering at hotels and throughout the travel industry. Safety is paramount for not only California’s hospitality workforce but the visitors to the state so that there may be controlled, mindful consumption of cannabis at hospitality group gatherings like weddings. AB 471 would ensure greater oversight by authorizing [DCC] to create cannabis catering licenses so that licensees can serve cannabis or cannabis products at private events.
- Background. According to the Assembly Business and Professions Committee analysis, under existing law, only those already licensed by DCC under the Medicinal and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act, such as retailers and microbusinesses, may receive a “temporary event” license, and temporary events allow only individual sales to take place on the premises. This bill allows, for temporary events, individuals not otherwise licensed to serve as caterers if approved by DCC, and allows an event host to pre-pay for cannabis and provide that cannabis, free of charge, to event guests. Finally, while alcohol and tobacco are prohibited at temporary events, this bill allows the consumption of alcohol and tobacco at private catered events, within specified parameters.
- Related Legislation. AB 374 (Haney) authorizes a local jurisdiction to allow a cannabis retailer to conduct business activities other than the consumption of cannabis or cannabis products, including selling non-cannabis-infused food, selling nonalcoholic beverages, and allowing, and selling tickets for, live musical or other performances on the premises. AB 374 is pending on the Assembly Third Reading File.
- Prior Legislation.
- AB 2210 (Quirk), Chapter 391, Statutes of 2022, authorized DCC, under certain conditions, to issue a temporary event license for an event held at a venue that is licensed by the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
- AB 2020 (Quirk), Chapter 749, Statutes of 2018, authorized DCC to issue a temporary event license for a licensee to provide on-site sales and consumption of cannabis at a temporary event located at a fair ground, district agricultural association event, or another venue expressly approved by a local jurisdiction.
- AB 2844 (Kalra), of the 2021-22 Legislative Session, was substantially similar to this measure. AB 2844 was held on this committee’s suspense file.
- AB 2210 (Quirk), Chapter 391, Statutes of 2022, authorized DCC, under certain conditions, to issue a temporary event license for an event held at a venue that is licensed by the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
Analysis Prepared by: Allegra Kim / APPR. / (916) 319-2081
Date of Hearing: April 26, 2023
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION
Miguel Santiago, Chair
ABPCA Bill Id:AB 471 (
Author:Kalra) – As Introduced Ver:February 6, 2023
SUBJECT: Cannabis catering
SUMMARY: Allows the Department of Cannabis Control (DCC or department) to issue a state caterer license that permits the licensee to serve cannabis at a private event that has received approval from a local jurisdiction for the purpose of allowing event attendees to consume the cannabis. Specifically, this bill:
1) Authorizes the DCC to issue a state caterer license that authorizes the licensee to serve cannabis at a private event approved by a local jurisdiction for the purpose of allowing event attendees to consume the cannabis or cannabis products.
2) Defines “private event” as an event that is not open to the public and is not hosted, sponsored, or advertised by the caterer licensee.
3) Requires that access to the area where cannabis is consumed at a catered private event be restricted to persons 21 years of age or older and that the area not be visible to any public place or nonage-restricted area.
4) Allows for a cannabis caterer licensee to serve cannabis or cannabis products at a private event that the caterer brought to, but did not serve at, a prior event, if the cannabis or cannabis products have not been removed from their original packaging.
5) Provides to the extent authorized by the local jurisdiction, permits the consumption of alcohol or tobacco consumption on the premises of an event approved to be catered if no alcoholic beverage license is required.
6) Prohibits a caterer licensee from selling, serving, or providing alcoholic beverages on the premises of an event approved to be catered.
7) Prohibits a caterer licensee from serving cannabis or cannabis products at any one premises for more than 36 events in one calendar year, unless the local jurisdiction determines additional events may be catered to satisfy substantial public demand.
8) Exempts applicants for licensure as a caterer from various requirements that cannabis license applicants provide information regarding the location or premises where they intend to engage in regulated activity.
EXISTING LAW:
1) Enacts the Medicinal and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MAUCRSA) to
provide for a comprehensive regulatory framework for the cultivation, distribution, transport,
storage, manufacturing, processing, and sale of medicinal and adult-use cannabis. (California Business and Professions Code §§ 26000 et seq.)
2) Establishes the DCC within the Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency
(previously established as the Bureau of Cannabis Control, the Bureau of Marijuana Control,
the Bureau of Medical Cannabis Regulation, and the Bureau of Medical Marijuana
Regulation), for purposes of administering and enforcing MAUCRSA. (California Business and Professions Code § 26010)
3) Provides for twenty total types of cannabis licenses including subtypes for cultivation,
manufacturing, testing, retail, distribution, and microbusiness; requires each licensee except
for testing laboratories to clearly designate whether their license is for adult-use or medicinal
cannabis. (California Business and Professions Code § 26050)
4) Requires the DCC to convene an advisory committee to advise state licensing
authorities on the development of standards and regulations for legal cannabis, including best
practices and guidelines that protect public health and safety while ensuring a regulated
environment for commercial cannabis activity that does not impose such barriers so as to
perpetuate, rather than reduce and eliminate, the illicit market for cannabis. (California Business and Professions Code § 26014)
5) Establishes grounds for disciplinary action against cannabis licensees, including failures to
comply with state licensing requirements as well as local laws and ordinances. (California Business and Professions Code § 26030)
6) Prohibits a cannabis licensee from selling alcoholic beverages or tobacco products on its
premises. (California Business and Professions Code § 26054)
7) Requires cannabis or cannabis products purchased by a customer to be placed in an opaque
package prior to leaving a licensed retail premises. (California Business and Professions Code § 26070.1)
8) Expresses that state cannabis laws shall not be interpreted to supersede or limit the authority
of a local jurisdiction to adopt and enforce local ordinances to regulate cannabis businesses.
(California Business and Professions Code § 26200(a))
9) Authorizes the DCC to issue a state temporary event license to a licensee authorizing
onsite cannabis sales to, and consumption by, persons 21 years of age or older at a county fair
event, district agricultural association event, or at another venue expressly approved by a
local jurisdiction for the purpose of holding temporary events of this nature, provided that the
activities comply with the following:
a) Access to the area where cannabis consumption is allowed is restricted to persons 21
years of age or older, cannabis consumption is not visible from any public place or
nonage-restricted area, and the sale or consumption of alcohol or tobacco is not allowed
on the premises.
b) All participants who are engaged in the onsite retail sale of cannabis or cannabis products
at the event are licensed to engage in that activity.
c) The activities are otherwise consistent with regulations promulgated and adopted by the
DCC governing state temporary event licenses.
d) A state temporary event license shall only be issued in local jurisdictions that authorize
such events.
e) A licensee who submits an application for a state temporary event license shall, 60 days
before the event, provide to the department a list of all licensees that will be providing
onsite sales of cannabis or cannabis products at the event.
10) Authorizes a local jurisdiction to allow for cannabis use on the premises of a cannabis retailer or microbusiness that does not sell or allow for the consumption of alcohol or tobacco on the premises, among other restrictions. (California Business and Professions Code § 26200(g))
11) The Alcoholic Beverage Control Act (ABC Act), which is administered by the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC), regulates the application, issuance, and suspension of alcoholic beverage licenses. Requires ABC to take disciplinary action against a licensee that violates this bill, including, but not limited to, suspension or revocation of the license.
12) Prohibits an alcoholic beverage licensee, at its licensed premises, from selling, offering, or providing cannabis or cannabis products, including an alcoholic beverage that contains cannabis or a cannabis product, and no alcoholic beverage shall be manufactured, sold, or offered for sale if it contains tetrahydrocannabinol or cannabichromene, regardless of source.
13) Provides in an ABC guidance relating to Precedential Decision 19-07-E, that “a private event or private function does not include one to which members of the general public may invite themselves, or for which the licensee solicits invitations from members of the general public.”
FISCAL EFFECT: This bill is keyed fiscal by Legislative Counsel.
COMMENTS:
Double-referral. This bill was heard by the Assembly Committee on Business and Professions on March 28, 2023, and passed that Committee by a vote of 14 to 3.
Purpose of the bill. According to the author’s office, “Despite recreational cannabis becoming an integral part of the California experience for visitors and residents alike, the state has yet to regulate cannabis catering at hotels and throughout the travel industry. Safety is paramount for not only California’s hospitality workforce but the visitors to the state so that there may be controlled, mindful consumption of cannabis at hospitality group gatherings like weddings. AB 471 would ensure greater oversight by authorizing the DCC to create cannabis catering licenses so that licensees can serve cannabis or cannabis products at private events.”
Background.
General Overview of Cannabis Regulation in California. Consumption of cannabis was first made lawful in California in 1996 when voters approved Proposition 215, or the Compassionate Use Act. Proposition 215 protected qualified patients and caregivers from prosecution relating to the possession and cultivation of cannabis for medicinal purposes, if recommended by a physician.
This regulatory scheme was further refined by SB 420 (Vasconcellos) in 2003, which established the state’s Medical Marijuana Program. After several years of lawful cannabis cultivation and consumption under state law, a lack of a uniform regulatory framework led to persistent problems across the state. Cannabis’s continued illegality under the federal Controlled
Substances Act, which classifies cannabis as a Schedule I drug ineligible for prescription, generated periodic enforcement activities by the United States Department of Justice. Threat of action by the federal government created apprehension within California’s cannabis community.
After several prior attempts to improve the state’s regulation of cannabis, the Legislature passed the Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act—subsequently retitled the Medical Cannabis
Regulation and Safety Act (MCRSA)—in 2015. MCRSA established, for the first time, a comprehensive statewide licensing and regulatory framework for the cultivation, manufacture, transportation, testing, distribution, and sale of medicinal cannabis. While entrusting state agencies to promulgate extensive regulations governing the implementation of the state’s cannabis laws, MCRSA fully preserved local control. Under MCRSA, local governments may establish their own ordinances to regulate medicinal cannabis activity. Local jurisdictions could also choose to ban cannabis establishments altogether.
Not long after the Legislature enacted MCRSA, California voters passed Proposition 64, the
Adult Use of Marijuana Act (AUMA). The passage of the AUMA legalized cannabis for non-medicinal adult use in a private home or licensed business; allowed adults 21 and over to possess and give away up to approximately one ounce of cannabis and up to eight grams of concentrate; and permitted the personal cultivation of up to six plants. The proponents of the AUMA sought to make use of much of the regulatory framework and authorities set out by MCRSA while making a few notable changes to the structure still being implemented.
In the spring of 2017, SB 94 (Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review) was passed to reconcile the distinct systems for the regulation, licensing, and enforcement of legal cannabis that had been established under the respective authorities of MCRSA and the AUMA. The single consolidated system established by the bill—known as the Medicinal and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and
Safety Act (MAUCRSA)—created a unified series of cannabis laws. On January 16, 2019, the state’s three cannabis licensing authorities—the Bureau of Cannabis Control, the California Department of Food and Agriculture, and the California Department of Public Health—officially announced that the Office of Administrative Law had approved final cannabis regulations promulgated by the three agencies respectively.
In early 2021, the Department of Finance released trailer bill language to create a new
Department with centralized authority for cannabis licensing and enforcement activities. This new department was created through a consolidation of the three prior licensing authorities’ cannabis programs. As of July 1, 2021, the Department has been the single entity responsible for administering and enforcing the majority of MAUCRSA. New regulations went into effect on
January 1, 2023 to effectuate the consolidation and make other changes to cannabis regulation.
Cannabis Consumption and Temporary Events. Proposition 64 made it generally lawful for persons 21 years of age or older to smoke or ingest cannabis or cannabis products. There are few restrictions on adults consuming cannabis on private property; for example, MAUCRSA does not generally prohibit the co-consumption of cannabis and alcohol in a private setting. However,
Proposition 64 did not permit any person to smoke or ingest cannabis products in a public place; in a location where smoking tobacco is prohibited; within 1,000 feet of a school, day care center, or youth center while children are present; or while driving, operating, or riding in a vehicle.
While MAUCRSA generally prohibits smoking, vaporizing, or ingesting cannabis or cannabis products in any public place. However, Proposition 64 authorized local jurisdictions to allow for the smoking, vaporizing, and ingesting of cannabis or cannabis products on the premises of a retailer or microbusiness licensed under certain conditions. This language gave cities and counties the option of locally authorizing the establishment of settings like “consumption lounges” where cannabis use can occur socially.
MAUCRSA also authorizes the Department to approve temporary event licenses to current cannabis licensees, which authorize onsite cannabis sales to, and consumption by, persons 21 years of age or older. These temporary events can take place at a county fair event, district agricultural association event, or at another venue expressly approved by a local jurisdiction for the purpose of holding temporary events of this nature. Local jurisdictions must authorize these events for them to be approved by the Department.
Both consumption lounges on retail premises and temporary events place additional restrictions on where cannabis or cannabis premises may be consumed. Access to the area where cannabis consumption is permitted must be restricted to persons who are 21 years of age or older.
Cannabis consumption may not visible from any public place or nonage-restricted area. Finally, the sale or consumption of alcohol or tobacco on the premises is strictly prohibited.
Cannabis Catering for Private Events. This bill seeks to create a regulatory environment specifically intended to allow for cannabis catering at private events such as weddings. The intent of the author is to allow for a new category of licensee to bring pre-purchased cannabis to an event location where it can be provided for free to guests, similar to how an “open bar” for alcoholic beverages functions at similar events. The caterer would not themselves be licensed as a retailer.
This model would be distinct from the existing temporary event license in several ways. First, only those already licensed by the Department under MAUCRSA, such as retailers and microbusinesses, may receive a temporary event license; this bill would allow individuals not otherwise licensed to serve as caterers if approved by the Department. Second, this bill would allow cannabis to be provided free of charge to event guests, prepaid by the event host; temporary events only allow for individual sales to take place on the premises. Finally, while alcohol and tobacco are prohibited at temporary events, this bill would allow for the consumption of both at private catered events within specified parameters.
ABC Advisory (November 1, 2021) on Cannabis Products, Industrial Hemp Products, and Alcoholic Beverages. The ABC advisory provided guidance relating to which activities are allowed on or in premises licensed by ABC. The advisory stated that “MAUCRSA (BPC § 26054) states that the holder of a license issued under the MAUCRSA “shall not sell alcoholic beverages or tobacco products on or at any premises licensed under this division.” In addition, Section 15000.3 of the DCC regulations provides that a premises shall not be in a location that requires persons to pass through a business that sells alcohol or tobacco or a private residence to access the licensed premises, or that requires persons to pass through the licensed premises to access a business that sells tobacco or alcohol or a private residence. Commercial cannabis products may only be cultivated, processed, stored, or sold at premises licensed pursuant to the MAUCRSA. Due to the restrictions on licensing and permissible activities, premises may not be licensed with both an ABC license and a license issued under MAUCRSA, even though a licensee may hold licenses (at separate premises) under both statutory schemes.”
Policy consideration. The author may consider the following amendments to strengthen the intent of the bill while enhancing public safety:
1) The applicant must include property owner approval that acknowledges the use of the premises for the "private event" when requesting a cannabis caterer license from the department.
2) When determining whether to grant a cannabis caterer license, the department shall consider the proximity of the "private event" to parks, youth recreation centers, schools, and other locations where minors congregate.
In support. The California Travel Association (CalTravel) writes in support, “Despite recreational cannabis consumption becoming an integral part of the California experience for visitors and residents, there is a gap in current DCC authority to license controlled consumption of cannabis at hospitality gatherings. This bill creates increased flexibility for the hospitality industry to responsibly integrate cannabis into visitor experiences.”
Related legislation. AB 374 (Haney) of 2023. This bill would specify that a local jurisdiction exercising the authority described above may allow the retailer or microbusiness to conduct business activities on the premises other than the smoking, vaporizing, and ingesting of cannabis or cannabis products, including, but not limited to, selling non-cannabis-infused food, selling nonalcoholic beverages, and allowing, and selling tickets for, live musical or other performances. (Assembly Committee on Governmental Organization)
Prior legislation. AB 2844 (Kalra) of 2022. This bill was similar to AB 471 in that it would have authorized the DCC to issue a state caterer license authorizing the licensee to serve cannabis for consumption by attendees age 21 or older at a private event approved by a local jurisdiction. (Held under submission by the Assembly Appropriations Committee)
AB 2210 (Quirk), Chapter 391, Statutes of 2022. Prohibits the DCC from denying an application for a state temporary event license solely on the basis that there is a license issued pursuant to the ABC Act for the proposed premises of the event. The bill would require all on- and off-sale privileges of alcoholic beverages at the venue to be suspended for the day of the event and would prohibit all alcohol consumption on the venue premises for the day of the event, and would prohibit those privileges and consumption from resuming until 6 a.m. on the day after the event.
AB 2691 (Wood) of 2022. Would have required the DCC to issue temporary event cultivator retail licenses to cannabis cultivators, as specified, for cannabis events operating in accordance with existing law. (Died on Assembly inactive file)
SB 314 (Wiener), Chapter 656, Statutes of 2021. Authorized ABC, for a period of 365 days from the date when the Covid-19 state of emergency order is lifted, to permit licensees to continue to exercise license privileges in an expanded licensed area authorized pursuant to a Covid-19 temporary catering permit, as defined. Authorized an alcohol manufacturer to share a common licensed area with multiple retailers, as specified. Increased the number of times, from 24 to 36 in a calendar year, that the ABC can issue a caterer’s permit for use at any one location.
AB 2914 (Cooley), Chapter 827, Statutes of 2018. Prohibited an alcoholic beverage licensee from selling, offering, or providing cannabis or cannabis products at its licensed premises, and prohibits a cannabis licensee from selling, offering, or providing a cannabis product that is an alcoholic beverage, as specified.
AB 2020 (Quirk), Chapter 749, Statutes of 2018. Authorized a state temporary event license to be issued to a licensee for an event to be held at any other venue expressly approved by a local jurisdiction for events.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
California NORML
California Travel Association (CALTRAVEL)
Oppose
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, INC.
American Heart Association
American Lung Association of California
Analysis Prepared by: Eric Johnson / G.O. / (916) 319-2531
Date of Hearing:
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONS
Marc Berman, Chair
ABPCA Bill Id:AB 471
Author:(Kalra) – As Introduced Ver:February 6, 2023
NOTE: This bill is double-referred and if passed by this Committee will be referred to the Assembly Committee on Governmental Organization.
SUBJECT: Cannabis catering.
SUMMARY: Authorizes the Department of Cannabis Control (Department) to issue a state caterer license that authorizes the licensee to serve cannabis at a private event approved by a local jurisdiction for the purpose of allowing event attendees to consume the cannabis.
EXISTING LAW:
- Enacts the Medicinal and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MAUCRSA) to provide for a comprehensive regulatory framework for the cultivation, distribution, transport, storage, manufacturing, processing, and sale of medicinal and adult-use cannabis. (Business and Professions Code (BPC) §§ 26000 et seq.)
- Establishes the Department within the Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency (previously established as the Bureau of Cannabis Control, the Bureau of Marijuana Control, the Bureau of Medical Cannabis Regulation, and the Bureau of Medical Marijuana Regulation), for purposes of administering and enforcing MAUCRSA. (BPC § 26010)
- Provides for twenty total types of cannabis licenses including subtypes for cultivation, manufacturing, testing, retail, distribution, and microbusiness; requires each licensee except for testing laboratories to clearly designate whether their license is for adult-use or medicinal cannabis. (BPC § 26050)
- Requires the Department to convene an advisory committee to advise state licensing authorities on the development of standards and regulations for legal cannabis, including best practices and guidelines that protect public health and safety while ensuring a regulated environment for commercial cannabis activity that does not impose such barriers so as to perpetuate, rather than reduce and eliminate, the illicit market for cannabis. (BPC § 26014)
- Establishes grounds for disciplinary action against cannabis licensees, including failures to comply with state licensing requirements as well as local laws and ordinances. (BPC § 26030)
- Prohibits a cannabis licensee from selling alcoholic beverages or tobacco products on its premises. (BPC § 26054)
- Requires cannabis or cannabis products purchased by a customer to be placed in an opaque package prior to leaving a licensed retail premises. (BPC § 26070.1)
- Expresses that state cannabis laws shall not be interpreted to supersede or limit the authority of a local jurisdiction to adopt and enforce local ordinances to regulate cannabis businesses. (BPC § 26200(a))
- Authorizes the Department to issue a state temporary event license to a licensee authorizing onsite cannabis sales to, and consumption by, persons 21 years of age or older at a county fair event, district agricultural association event, or at another venue expressly approved by a local jurisdiction for the purpose of holding temporary events of this nature, provided that the activities comply with the following:
- Access to the area where cannabis consumption is allowed is restricted to persons 21 years of age or older, cannabis consumption is not visible from any public place or nonage-restricted area, and the sale or consumption of alcohol or tobacco is not allowed on the premises.
- All participants who are engaged in the onsite retail sale of cannabis or cannabis products at the event are licensed to engage in that activity.
- The activities are otherwise consistent with regulations promulgated and adopted by the Department governing state temporary event licenses.
- A state temporary event license shall only be issued in local jurisdictions that authorize such events.
- A licensee who submits an application for a state temporary event license shall, 60 days before the event, provide to the department a list of all licensees that will be providing onsite sales of cannabis or cannabis products at the event.
(BPC § 28200(e))
- Authorizes a local jurisdiction to allow for cannabis use on the premises of a cannabis retailer or microbusiness that does not sell or allow for the consumption of alcohol or tobacco on the premises, among other restrictions. (BPC § 26200(g))
THIS BILL:
- Authorizes the Department to issue a state caterer license that authorizes the licensee to serve cannabis at a private event approved by a local jurisdiction for the purpose of allowing event attendees to consume the cannabis or cannabis products.
- Defines “private event” as an event that is not open to the public and is not hosted, sponsored, or advertised by the caterer licensee.
- Requires that access to the area where cannabis is consumed at a catered private event be restricted to persons 21 years of age or older and that the area not be visible to any public place or nonage-restricted area.
- Allows for a cannabis caterer licensee to serve cannabis or cannabis products at a private event that the caterer brought to, but did not serve at, a prior event, if the cannabis or cannabis products have not been removed from their original packaging.
- To the extent authorized by the local jurisdiction, permits the consumption of alcohol or tobacco consumption on the premises of an event approved to be catered if no alcoholic beverage license is required.
- Prohibits a caterer licensee from selling, serving, or providing alcoholic beverages on the premises of an event approved to be catered.
- Prohibits a caterer licensee from serving cannabis or cannabis products at any one premises for more than 36 events in one calendar year, unless the local jurisdiction determines additional events may be catered to satisfy substantial public demand.
- Exempts applicants for licensure as a caterer from various requirements that cannabis license applicants provide information regarding the location or premises where they intend to engage in regulated activity.
FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown; this bill is keyed fiscal by the Legislative Counsel.
COMMENTS:
Purpose. This bill is sponsored by the United Cannabis Business Association. According to the author:
“Despite recreational cannabis becoming an integral part of the California experience for visitors and residents alike, the state has yet to regulate cannabis catering at hotels and throughout the travel industry. Safety is paramount for not only California’s hospitality workforce but the visitors to the state so that there may be controlled, mindful consumption of cannabis at hospitality group gatherings like weddings. AB 471 would ensure greater oversight by authorizing the Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) to create cannabis catering licenses so that licensees can serve cannabis or cannabis products at private events.”
Background.
Brief History of Cannabis Regulation in California. Consumption of cannabis was first made lawful in California in 1996 when voters approved Proposition 215, or the Compassionate Use Act. Proposition 215 protected qualified patients and caregivers from prosecution relating to the possession and cultivation of cannabis for medicinal purposes, if recommended by a physician. This regulatory scheme was further refined by SB 420 (Vasconcellos) in 2003, which established the state’s Medical Marijuana Program. After several years of lawful cannabis cultivation and consumption under state law, a lack of a uniform regulatory framework led to persistent problems across the state. Cannabis’s continued illegality under the federal Controlled Substances Act, which classifies cannabis as a Schedule I drug ineligible for prescription, generated periodic enforcement activities by the United States Department of Justice. Threat of action by the federal government created apprehension within California’s cannabis community.
After several prior attempts to improve the state’s regulation of cannabis, the Legislature passed the Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act—subsequently retitled the Medical Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MCRSA)—in 2015. MCRSA established, for the first time, a comprehensive statewide licensing and regulatory framework for the cultivation, manufacture, transportation, testing, distribution, and sale of medicinal cannabis. While entrusting state agencies to promulgate extensive regulations governing the implementation of the state’s cannabis laws, MCRSA fully preserved local control. Under MCRSA, local governments may establish their own ordinances to regulate medicinal cannabis activity. Local jurisdictions could also choose to ban cannabis establishments altogether.
Not long after the Legislature enacted MCRSA, California voters passed Proposition 64, the Adult Use of Marijuana Act (AUMA). The passage of the AUMA legalized cannabis for non-medicinal adult use in a private home or licensed business; allowed adults 21 and over to possess and give away up to approximately one ounce of cannabis and up to eight grams of concentrate; and permitted the personal cultivation of up to six plants. The proponents of the AUMA sought to make use of much of the regulatory framework and authorities set out by MCRSA while making a few notable changes to the structure still being implemented.
In the spring of 2017, SB 94 (Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review) was passed to reconcile the distinct systems for the regulation, licensing, and enforcement of legal cannabis that had been established under the respective authorities of MCRSA and the AUMA. The single consolidated system established by the bill—known as the Medicinal and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MAUCRSA)—created a unified series of cannabis laws. On January 16, 2019, the state’s three cannabis licensing authorities—the Bureau of Cannabis Control, the California Department of Food and Agriculture, and the California Department of Public Health—officially announced that the Office of Administrative Law had approved final cannabis regulations promulgated by the three agencies respectively.
In early 2021, the Department of Finance released trailer bill language to create a new Department with centralized authority for cannabis licensing and enforcement activities. This new department was created through a consolidation of the three prior licensing authorities’ cannabis programs. As of July 1, 2021, the Department has been the single entity responsible for administering and enforcing the majority of MAUCRSA. New regulations went into effect on January 1, 2023 to effectuate the consolidation and make other changes to cannabis regulation.
Cannabis Consumption and Temporary Events. Proposition 64 made it generally lawful for persons 21 years of age or older to smoke or ingest cannabis or cannabis products. There are few restrictions on adults consuming cannabis on private property; for example, MAUCRSA does not generally prohibit the co-consumption of cannabis and alcohol in a private setting. However, Proposition 64 did not permit any person to smoke or ingest cannabis products in a public place; in a location where smoking tobacco is prohibited; within 1,000 feet of a school, day care center, or youth center while children are present; or while driving, operating, or riding in a vehicle.
While MAUCRSA generally prohibits smoking, vaporizing, or ingesting cannabis or cannabis products in any public place. However, Proposition 64 authorized local jurisdictions to allow for the smoking, vaporizing, and ingesting of cannabis or cannabis products on the premises of a retailer or microbusiness licensed under certain conditions. This language gave cities and counties the option of locally authorizing the establishment of settings like “consumption lounges” where cannabis use can occur socially.
MAUCRSA also authorizes the Department to approve temporary event licenses to current cannabis licensees, which authorize onsite cannabis sales to, and consumption by, persons 21 years of age or older. These temporary events can take place at a county fair event, district agricultural association event, or at another venue expressly approved by a local jurisdiction for the purpose of holding temporary events of this nature. Local jurisdictions must authorize these events for them to be approved by the Department.
Both consumption lounges on retail premises and temporary events place additional restrictions on where cannabis or cannabis premises may be consumed. Access to the area where cannabis consumption is permitted must be restricted to persons who are 21 years of age or older. Cannabis consumption may not visible from any public place or nonage-restricted area. Finally, the sale or consumption of alcohol or tobacco on the premises is strictly prohibited.
Cannabis Catering for Private Events. This bill seeks to create a regulatory environment specifically intended to allow for cannabis catering at private events such as weddings. The intent of the author is to allow for a new category of licensee to bring pre-purchased cannabis to an event location where it can be provided for free to guests, similar to how an “open bar” for alcoholic beverages functions at similar events. The caterer would not themselves be licensed as a retailer.
This model would be distinct from the existing temporary event license in several ways. First, only those already licensed by the Department under MAUCRSA, such as retailers and microbusinesses, may receive a temporary event license; this bill would allow individuals not otherwise licensed to serve as caterers if approved by the Department. Second, this bill would allow cannabis to be provided free of charge to event guests, prepaid by the event host; temporary events only allow for individual sales to take place on the premises. Finally, while alcohol and tobacco are prohibited at temporary events, this bill would allow for the consumption of both at private catered events within specified parameters.
Current Related Legislation. AB 374 (Haney) would authorize a local jurisdiction to allow for a cannabis retailer to conduct business activities on the premises other than the consumption of cannabis or cannabis products, including, but not limited to, selling non-cannabis-infused food, selling nonalcoholic beverages, and allowing, and selling tickets for, live musical or other performances. This bill is pending in this committee.
Prior Related Legislation. AB 2844 (Kalra) was substantially similar to this measure. This bill died on the Assembly Appropriations Committee’s suspense file.
AB 2210 (Quirk, Chapter 391, Statutes of 2022) authorized the Department to issue a state temporary event license for an event held at a venue that is licensed by the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control under certain conditions.
AB 2020 (Quirk, Chapter 749, Statutes of 2018) authorized a state temporary event license to be issued to a licensee for an event to be held at any other venue expressly approved by a local jurisdiction for events.
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT:
The California Travel Association (CalTravel) supports this bill. CalTravel states: “Despite recreational cannabis consumption becoming an integral part of the California experience for visitors and residents, there is a gap in current DCC authority to license controlled consumption of cannabis at hospitality gatherings.” CalTravel argues that “AB 471 creates increased flexibility for the hospitality industry to responsibly integrate cannabis into visitor experiences.”
ARGUMENTS IN OPPOSITION:
None on file.
REGISTERED SUPPORT:
California Travel Association
REGISTERED OPPOSITION:
None on file.
Analysis Prepared by: Robert Sumner / B. & P. / (916) 319-3301
Discussed in Hearing
Assembly Standing Committee on Governmental Organization
Assembly Standing Committee on Business and Professions
Bill Author
Bill Co-Author(s):