The ever evolving California marijuana laws
California Marijuana Laws
An announcement by the California Department of Food & Agriculture on April 30, 2019, stated that applicants can now legally apply to cultivate hemp. This is due to the Office of Administrative Law (OAL)’s recent adoption of the regulation concerning industrial hemp registration fees.
Hemp cultivators have to register with the agricultural commissioner of the various counties. Each county has charged a registration fee of $900. A few counties in the state of California have decided to ban the cultivation of hemp for reasons we can’t seem to understand. According to the industrial hemp law of the state of California, county agricultural commissioners “must issue a registration [for hemp cultivation] to [an] applicant” only if the requirements found in Food and Agricultural Code 81000 – 81011 are respected. Therefore, as the registration fees have been established and the state has published the application form, county agricultural commissioners will register hemp cultivators who recognize the state law.
This is seen as a very progressive move. As previously discussed, the passage of the 2018 federal “Farm Bill” rescheduled “hemp” as parts of the cannabis plant containing 0.3% or less THC, and declassified hemp from the list Controlled Substances Act. Industrial hemp can be used in different ways, including food, fuel, clothing, and building materials.
The popularity of hemp has drastically risen across the United States over the past few years especially, and this is seen by an increased in demand for the plant. Currently, residents of the Golden State can now lawfully participate in the growing hemp market. This means that finding a way to sufficiently regulate the cultivation of hemp in areas where cannabis cultivation is legal will bring different barriers. Hopefully, the state of California is as much space for both hemp and cannabis.
In 2016 voters in California legalized recreational marijuana through Proposition 64. According to the proposition, cities and counties could decide if marijuana businesses could establish shop within their borders. Recent cannabis statistics show that most California jurisdictions chose to ban all marijuana shops, pushing legislation aimed at forcing more cities to open access. On the other hand, 25 local governments have begun a lawsuit against the state for permitting cannabis deliveries even in communities that have banned the industry.
The hemp industry has been much easier to access and operate after President Donald Trump signed a Farm Bill that removed hemp from the federal list of controlled substances. Recognizing hemp as a separate entity from cannabis is something that should have been done long ago, none the less we will reluctantly give the president credit for at least a step in the right direction.
Hemp industries are quickly rising in states such as Colorado, Oregon, and Nevada. Recently the state of Georgia, Iowa, and Indiana also have also progressed in hemp farming.
After months of delays, California regulations enacted on April 30 have states that if farmers have all the requirements including complete applications, and paying their fees, agricultural commissioners, they will be accepted to grow hemp legally.
San Luis Obispo County has the highest number of most hemp farming registrations at the moment, with about 15 applications, which are currently in progress. San Diego County follows with 13 applications.
Several counties are still deciding on additional requirements. For instance, Inyo County requires hemp farmers to apply for state applications and for conditional use permits, which usually cost $1,490. If you like the recent advancements in cannabis and hemp acceptance we urge you to get out and vote both locally and on the federal level as we continue the fight for nationwide legal cannabis & cannabis products.
