Lori Ajax, chief of the Bureau of Cannabis Control. Credit: Jason Doiy/ ALM


Listen to experts discuss the vast differences and patchwork regulation state-to-state as cannabis legalization continues to grow across the U.S. Listen Now.
Bureau of Cannabis Control |

Deliveries anywhere.

New language will allow licensed marijuana deliveries in any city or county in the state, even those that ban retail outlets, processing and cultivation. The provisions are similar to legislation, now shelved, that would have barred local governments from stopping state-regulated companies from delivering to their residents. That bill drew opposition from cities and counties, which argued that local control is a key tenet of Proposition 64, the 2016 voter initiative legalizing recreational marijuana. Companies including WeDrop Cannabis Delivery, CannaWagon and Weedmaps lobbied for the bill.

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Advertising restrictions are expanded.

The rules expand restrictions on marijuana advertising that might appeal to children, such as the use of inflatables, toys and cartoon characters. Additionally, outdoor advertising must be affixed to a building or a "permanent structure." That would appear to bar roving billboards attached to trucks or truck trailers. As for billboards, "it would depend on the billboard," said Bureau of Cannabis Control spokesman Alex Traverso. "We'd have to look it at case-by-case." The bureau's proposal also offers guidance for how advertisers can show that 71.6 percent of their audience is 21 years old or older.

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Attention events-holders.

Changes will require cannabis event-holders to provide more details about where licensed retailers will be set up, where attendees can light up or consume marijuana and where sales will occur. Cannabis-focused events have proven challenging for organizers working under the state's emergency regulations. Organizers of the Chalice Festival sued the Bureau of Cannabis Control and the city of Victorville in June after they declined to issue permits for the event planned for the San Bernardino County fairgrounds this month.