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Laws & Regulations

CDFA Releases the Proposed Regulations for the Cannabis Appellations Program

On February 20, 2020, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) released the proposed regulations for the appellations of origin for cannabis. The release of these regulations marks the official start of a 45-day public comment period provided under California law. All interested parties are encouraged to submit comments about the proposed regulations.

An appellation of origin is a protected designation that identifies the geographical origin of a product and how that product was produced. CDFA’s Cannabis Appellations Program will promote regional cannabis products and local businesses, prevent the misrepresentation of a cannabis product’s origin, and support consumer confidence about a cannabis product’s origin and characteristics.

Per Business and Professions Code Section 26063(b), CDFA is required to develop the process by which state-licensed cannabis cultivators may establish appellations of origin by January 1, 2021. CDFA proposes amendments to Chapter 1, and adoption of Chapter 2, within Title 3 of the California Code of Regulations, to develop the process for establishing cannabis appellations of origin and provide additional clarification on the use of county of origin.

Comments on the proposed regulations may be submitted until Monday, April 6, 2020, via email to CDFA.CalCannabis_Appellations@cdfa.ca.gov or by mail to:

Verbal comments also may be made or submitted in writing at the public hearing on Tuesday, April 14, 2020, from 1pm to 3pm, in the CDFA Auditorium at 1220 N Street, Sacramento, CA 95814.

For tips on how to make effective comments about the proposed appellations regulations, please see “How to Submit Your Comments.”

• Cannabis Appellations Program: Proposed Regulations
• Cannabis Appellations Program: Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
• Cannabis Appellations Program: Initial Statement of Reasons

New State Cannabis Cultivation Regulations Approved by the Office of Administrative Law

On January 16, 2019, the Office of Administrative Law (OAL) approved the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s cannabis cultivation regulations and the regulations went into effect immediately. The previous emergency regulations were adopted by the California Department of Food and Agriculture in December 2017 and readopted in June 2018, and were originally issued through the emergency rulemaking process to meet the legislative mandate to open California's regulated cannabis market on January 1, 2018. The emergency regulations are no longer in effect, now that the new regulations have been approved by OAL.

• Fact Sheet: Highlights of the New California Cannabis Cultivation Regulations
• OAL Notice of Approval and Endorsed Form 400
• Final Regulation Language Effective January 16, 2019
• Final Statement of Reasons and Addendum

Archived Regulation Activities