By Benji Garcia-Reyes
IG: @themedimexican
There are major regulation changes set by the California Bureau of Cannabis Control of which will affect cannabis retailers across the State of California for 180 days as of July 6th. Several amendments to those regulations will affect California dispensaries and delivery services directly. There will be changes to regulations related to delivery area limits, validating age, onboard product amounts, locked product containers/storage, inventory ledgers, destination logs, delivery activities, and vehicle requirements.
By far the biggest change that will impact the entire cannabis industry is that a “delivery employee may deliver to any jurisdiction within the State of California.” Which means, unlike storefront dispensaries that have strict zone regulations, licensed deliveries are allowed to service qualified customers anywhere in California.
Onboard amounts for delivery employees will increase and they are now allowed to carry up to $10,000 of cannabis product (which must be kept in a locked case, cage or box, in a vehicle’s trunk or cab). They will also be allowed to make multiple deliveries on same trip, without needing to return to the dispensary as long as the order is received and processed before departing. This is a drastic increase because previously employees were only allowed to carry a limit of $3,000 worth of cannabis product onboard at one time.
Delivery employees must wear a visible badge with a picture and their business information. They are also now responsible for: validating the age and identity of every delivery customer, keeping delivery request receipts for all the cannabis goods they carry, and maintaining a more accurate inventory ledger after every delivery transaction. The inventory ledger requires accurate tracking of information such as the track and trace number, brand, retail price, type of (cannabis) product and the quantity, weight, volume of items or pieces. The receipts must contain printed information such as the business name and location, the name(s) of the person who prepared and the person who delivered it, and amount of each transaction including taxes and fees. Each receipt also requires a customer signature.
These regulation changes also clarify the allowable activities that a delivery employee can engage in during deliveries. Delivery drivers are only allowed to fulfill delivery orders, make vehicle repairs, refuel the vehicle, and rest for a reasonable amount of time. All other activities are forbidden under the new regulation changes. The new destination log accounts for the locations of each completed order. It must also include the departure and return times from and to the dispensary. Delivery drivers have to return to the dispensary if there are no upcoming deliveries for more than 30 minutes.
Additionally, all delivery vehicles must be outfitted with a dedicated GPS. The delivery vehicle must be owned by the licensed business and is only to be used for cannabis product deliveries during work hours. This rules out the possibility of employees using their personal vehicles for deliveries. For a complete summary of the Bureau of Cannabis Control Regulation amendments, visit the California Cannabis Bureau of Cannabis Control website.
Nowhere in the proposed regs does it say that the delivery vehicle must be owned by the licensee. Please point out where this language is or update the post. As far as I can tell, that’s false information.