OCal Program
The OCal Program is now under the Inspection Services Division at the Department of Food and Agriculture. Visit and bookmark our new webpage: https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/is/ocal.html
The three state cannabis programs were merged to form a single new state department called the Department of Cannabis Control (DCC). DCC now licenses and regulates all commercial cannabis activity in California.
Visit the new cannabis website with expanded resources for cannabis businesses, consumers and the public.
The Office of Administrative Law (OAL) approved the OCal regulations, 2021-0714-01, to establish a program that is comparable to the National Organic Program and the California Organic Food and Farming Act.
- New! OCal Program – Final Regulation Text
- New! OCal Program – Final Guidance Documents
- Documents Incorporated by Reference
Food and Drug Administration regulation 21 CFR section 179.26 (version April 1, 2020)
The regulations were filed with the Secretary of State on July 14, 2021, and are now in effect.
Proposed Regulations for Certification of Cannabis Comparable to the National Organic Program
On May 1, 2020, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) released the proposed regulations for the OCal Program, a statewide certification program that will establish and enforce comparable-to-organic cannabis standards. The release of these regulations marked the official start of a 45-day public comment period provided under California law. All interested parties were encouraged to submit comments about the proposed cannabis regulations by Tuesday, July 7, 2020.
OCal modified the proposed regulations and the first 15-day comment period was from August 31, 2020, to September 15, 2020. The proposed regulations were modified again, which prompted a second 15-day comment period from November 9, 2020, to November 24, 2020. The proposed regulations were again modified, which prompted a third 15-day comment period from May 20, 2021 to June 4, 2021.
The comment periods are now closed.
The OCal Program will ensure that cannabis products bearing the OCal seal have been certified to consistent, uniform standards comparable to the National Organic Program.
OCal is a statewide certification program that will establish and enforce comparable-to-organic cannabis standards. The OCal Program will ensure that cannabis products bearing the OCal seal have been certified to consistent, uniform standards comparable to the National Organic Program.
Per Business and Professions Code Section 26062(a)(1), CDFA is required to establish a certification program for cannabis that is comparable to the National Organic Program and the California Organic Food and Farming Act by 2021. CDFA proposes adoption of Chapter 3, within Title 3 of the California Code of Regulations, to establish the OCal Program for cannabis.
Proposed OCal Regulatory Materials
- Initial Notice Documents
- Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
- Text of the Proposed Regulations
- Frequently Asked Questions/Comments
- Initial Statement of Reasons (ISOR)
- ISOR Documents Relied Upon:
- Minutes of July 24, 2019, Working Group
- National Organic Program Regulations, Code of Federal Regulations, Title 7–Agriculture
- "Soil Organic Matter and Available Water Capacity," Journal of Soil and Water Conservation
- "Increasing Cropping System Diversity Balance Productivity, Profitability, and Environmental Health," PLOS ONE
- National Organic Program Handbook: Guidance and Instructions for Accredited Certifying Agents and Certified Operations
- Key National Organic Program (NOP) documents
- ISOR Documents Relied Upon:
- First 15-day Comment Period Documents
- Notice of Modifications to the Text of the Proposed Regulations
- Addendum to the Initial Statement of Reasons (ISOR) (explanation of changes to the Text of the Proposed Regulations)
- Supplement to the Initial Statement of Reasons (ISOR)
- Modified Text of the Proposed Regulations
- Modified OCal Guidance Documents 2611, 3012, and 5021
- Second 15-Day Comment Period Documents
- Third 15-Day Comment Period Documents
- Notice of Modifications to the Text of Proposed Regulations
- Addendum III to the Initial Statement of Reasons (ISOR) (explanation of changes to the Text of the Proposed Regulations)
- Supplement II to the Initial Statement of Reasons (ISOR)
- Modified Text of the Proposed Regulations
- Documents Incorporated by Reference:
- Food and Drug Administration regulation 21 CFR section 179.26 (version April 1, 2020)
- Modified OCal Guidance Documents:
- OCal 1000 Methods and Materials in OCal Production
- OCal 2006 Separation of Duties in Certification Decisions
- OCal 2602 Recordkeeping for Certified Operations
- OCal 2608 Responding to Noncompliance’s
- OCal 2609 Unannounced Inspections
- OCal 2610 Sampling Procedures for OCal Cannabis Residue Testing
- OCal 2611 Laboratory Selection Criteria for Prohibited Substance Testing
- OCal 2611-1 Prohibited Pesticides for OCal Residue Testing
- OCal 2613 Responding to Results of Pesticide Residue Testing
- OCal 2614 Technical Assistance Instruction
- OCal 2615 OSPs, OSP Updates, and Notification of Changes
- OCal 3012 Material Review
- OCal 5006 Processed Animal Manures in OCal Production
- OCal 5008 Reassessed Inert Ingredients
- OCal 5020 Natural Resources and Biodiversity Conservation
- OCal 5021 Compost and Vermicompost in OCal Production
- OCal 5023 Substances Used in Post-Harvest Handling of OCal Products
- OCal 5025 Commingling & Contamination
- OCal 5026 The Use of Chlorine Materials in OCal Production
- OCal 5029 Seeds and Planting Stock in OCal Cultivation
- OCal 5033 Classification of Unique Materials
- OCal 5033-1 Decision Tree for Classification Materials
- OCal 5034 Materials for OCal Cannabis Production
- OCal 5034-1 List of Materials for Use in OCal Cannabis Production
- OCal 5034-2 List of Materials Prohibited for Use in OCal Cannabis Productions
- OCal 5036 Treated Lumber

Why Do We Call It “Comparable-to-Organic” Cannabis?
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has been mandated by state law to develop a program for cannabis that is comparable to the National Organic Program. The term “organic” is a designation reserved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for products it has certified as organic, per the terms of the National Organic Program. Since cannabis is illegal under federal law, cannabis operations cannot be certified under the National Organic Program, therefore the word organic cannot be used to refer to cannabis grown in California.
So how do we refer to cannabis grown in a way that’s comparable to the National Organic Program’s standards?
CDFA came up with the term OCal to identify what we will be considering comparable-to-organic cannabis in California. This means if you’re a commercial cannabis licensee in California, and your cannabis is produced according to OCal’s requirements, then you may be eligible to apply for comparable-to-organic certification through the OCal Program.
Certified operations will be authorized to sell, label, or represent their commercial cannabis products as OCal products. CDFA will be certifying cannabis growers and distributors, and the California Department of Public Health will be certifying manufacturers.
So what are these OCal requirements? Our proposed regulations were released in early May 2020, and the final regulations for the OCal Program will be enacted in 2021, and posted on this web page.
Public Meetings
- CalCannabis Comparable-to-Organic Cannabis Working Group Meeting, November 4, 2019, Notice and Agenda
- CalCannabis Comparable-to-Organic Cannabis Working Group Meeting, July 24, 2019, Notice and Agenda | Meeting Minutes
- CalCannabis Comparable-to-Organic Cannabis Working Group Meeting, June 25, 2019, Notice and Agenda
- CalCannabis Comparable-to-Organic Cannabis Working Group Meeting, May 15, 2019, Notice and Agenda
- CalCannabis Comparable-to-Organic Cannabis Working Group Meeting, February 12, 2019, Notice and Agenda
Resources From the USDA National Organic Program
The California Department of Food and Agriculture’s OCal Comparable-to-Organic Cannabis Program will be comparable to the National Organic Program (NOP). The following NOP resources may be helpful to those who want to learn more about the program.
- Organic Certification Made Simple (video series)
- “The Road to Organic Certification” (video)
- What Is Organic Certification?
Tip Sheets
References and Resources
Cultivation License