Does cannabis cause cancer? Science says no. California says yes. Dispensary fined for not warning consumers about the cancerous weed.
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/8358890-181/santa-rosa-cannabis-dispensary-fined?sba=AAS
Santa Rosa cannabis dispensary Sonoma Patient Group has agreed to pay $40,000 in fines and civil penalties for not providing sufficient state-mandated warning information about potentially cancer-causing substances in products at its Cleveland Avenue retail store, Sonoma County District Attorney officials said.
In a settlement reached with prosecutors May 10, the dispensary also will hold an educational event to ensure other cannabis businesses in the county understand how to comply with the California’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, commonly known as Proposition 65, which requires businesses provide clear warnings to consumers about substances that could cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm.
The case started in 2017 with a complaint from the Sacramento-based Center for Advanced Public Awareness, a private consumer safety company that looks for Proposition 65 violations.
Sonoma Patient Group founder and owner John Sugg said the dispensary had consumer warnings posted on-site which he believed complied with state law. Once they were notified about the complaint, they changed the wording, he said.
Founded in 2007, Sonoma Patient Group is the longest-running dispensary in Santa Rosa.
Sugg said in a statement that many studies have shown cannabis smoke does not cause cancer, but he noted that California in 2009 added cannabis to a list of chemicals requiring consumer warnings due to Proposition 65.
Prop. 65 warnings ensure people can make informed decisions about the products they consume, District Attorney Jill Ravitch said.
At least the feds will help with the state's tax police even though all the other policing services they provide are not wanted.
https://mjbizdaily.com/feds-team-with-california-officials-to-combat-illegal-marijuana-grows/
One of California’s U.S. attorneys is joining forces with the state attorney general in a renewed effort to crack down on illegal cannabis growers while allowing licensed marijuana companies to continue doing business as usual.
McGregor Scott, the U.S. attorney for the eastern district of California, announced this week that his office will be bringing $2.5 million in federal funds to the state fight against unlicensed MJ cultivators, which he said are still the priority and not licensed companies working within California’s newly regulated cannabis market.
“The reality of the situation is there is so much black-market marijuana in California that we could use all of our resources going after just the black market and never get there,” Scott said.
“For right now, our priorities are to focus on what have been historically our federal law enforcement priorities: interstate trafficking, organized crime and the federal public lands.”
The news is the latest development in an ongoing atmosphere of uncertainty for legal cannabis companies that are struggling to compete with businesses that continue to sell marijuana without paying the taxes and fees incurred by law-abiding firms.
It also emphasizes that, at least for now, federal authorities will continue to let states take the lead in overseeing their own marijuana markets, despite the plant’s federal status as a Schedule 1 controlled substance.
It seems they stomped down any talk of reducing the excise tax to compete with grey and black market cannabis. Pity. But, some good laws are still possible if acted upon by June 1.
https://mjbizdaily.com/key-california-marijuana-bills-face-june-1-hurdle-at-state-capitol/
