A summer approaches, and the heat rises in California, the state’s Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) is urging growers and other license holders to request disaster relief.
DCC says water-conscious growers and other cannabis licensees impacted by California’s ongoing drought emergency should seek disaster relief.
According to DCC, licensees can submit a Form DCC-8108 to disasterrelief@cannabis.ca.gov to request disaster relief and a temporary exemption from regulations.
DCC says eligible licensees may receive licensing if they cannot comply with California’s drought emergency.
To receive relief, DCC says licensees may need to follow specific guidelines.
Licensees who seek disaster relief will need to specify why they are requesting it and which relevant regulations they wish to suspend temporarily.
DCC says it considers each case individually for disaster relief, which, previously, it has used to permit curbside pickup at dispensaries during COVID-19 pandemic and evacuate cannabis and cannabis products in response to major wildfires.
“By the end of April 2022, more than 95 percent of California was experiencing severe or exceptional drought,” states a DCC press release. “State and local agencies across California are already working to promote water consercation—including, for example, through programs in certain local jurisdictions in which cultivators may conserve water by fallowing their crops.”
DCC says licensees should request disaster relief if easing licensing requirements would allow growers to participate in local fallowing efforts or help the state with water conservation.
According to DCC, it does not have authority to provide relief from other agencies’ requirements or imposed statutes like cultivation or excise taxes.
