CBDBuzzz.com
  • Home
  • News
  • Culture
  • Science
  • Health
  • Videos
  • Shop
No Result
View All Result
CBDBuzzz.com
  • Home
  • News
  • Culture
  • Science
  • Health
  • Videos
  • Shop
No Result
View All Result
CBDBuzzz.com
No Result
View All Result

California weighs steep new fines to combat illegal cannabis sellers

July 20, 2020
in News
Reading Time: 3 mins read
A A
California weighs steep new fines to combat illegal cannabis sellers
400
SHARES
2.4k
VIEWS
ShareShareShareShareShare
A Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy loads evidence bags into a van after raiding an illegal cannabis dispensary in Compton in 2018. State lawmakers are considering new fines for landlords and advertisers that aid illegal pot shops. (Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)

SACRAMENTO — Alarmed that unlicensed cannabis sellers continue to dominate California’s pot market, state lawmakers are moving toward imposing steep new fines on businesses that provide building space, advertising platforms and other aid to illicit operations.

Those who provide assistance to illegal pot sellers would face civil fines of up to $30,000 per day under legislation approved unanimously by the state Assembly that is now pending in the Senate. A final vote on the proposal is expected sometime after lawmakers return to Sacramento this month.

Assemblywoman Blanca Rubio (D-Baldwin Park) said she introduced the bill out of concern that as much as 80% of the cannabis sold in California comes from the illicit market, despite voters approving legal and licensed sales that began in 2018.

“Despite some success during the first two years of legalized cannabis sales, the illicit market has flourished,” Rubio said. “In addition to dwindling tax revenues, the underground market presents public safety and health threats to California.”

But the proposal has divided advocates for legal marijuana. The United Cannabis Business Assn., which represents licensed firms, asked Rubio to introduce Assembly Bill 2122, saying it “brings much-needed support in enforcement.”

Licensed retailers have struggled as many Californians continue to buy from the illicit market sellers, who charge lower prices because they do not pay state taxes or abide by costly state regulations, including testing and security requirements.

“The illicit cannabis market must be shut down to ensure that legal operators can see an increase of patients and consumers which creates union jobs while we contribute to local and the State of California’s tax revenues,” the UCBA said in a letter to legislators.

However, the measure is opposed by the California chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, also known as NORML, which argues the bill is overbroad and heavy-handed.

“In general we would rather see ‘carrots’ to assist people in securing commercial licenses by lowering the barriers to entry, rather than ‘sticks,’ be they criminal or civil,” said Ellen Komp, deputy director of California NORML.

The group supports an existing law requiring advertising for cannabis businesses to include a state license number. NORML officials said many illicit operators display fake licenses to fool those they do business with, so it is not always easy to ascertain whether a cannabis business has a license.

Komp suggested the state can help licensed businesses by addressing the fact that two-thirds of the cities in California do not allow licensing of cannabis businesses.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, the leading supporter of the legalization initiative Proposition 64 in 2016, has said enforcement is an important part of building a legal industry.

But the state Bureau of Cannabis Control has previously run into roadblocks in attempting to enforce laws requiring cannabis businesses to be licensed.

In 2018, the bureau sent a letter to Weedmaps, the internet site that provides consumers with information on cannabis firms, directing it to cease and desist from displaying listings of unlicensed sellers.

Weedmaps said it was protected from such an order by the 1996 Communications Decency Act, which gave platforms such as Facebook and YouTube safe harbor from being held liable for the content of their users’ posts.

However, last August, the firm announced it would end the practice of listing unlicensed cannabis businesses on its Yelp-like platform.

Still, state officials say ads for illegal operators can be found elsewhere on the internet and said sharper teeth are needed in state law to give enforcement real bite.

A Weedmaps spokesman said the firm is neutral on the Rubio bill, but the company warned lawmakers that the measure “has the potential to capture non-nefarious actors across multiple media platforms who are not intentionally supporting the illicit cannabis market.”

To Read The Rest Of This Article By Patrick McGreevy on Los Angeles Times
Click Here

Published: July 20, 2020

The post California weighs steep new fines to combat illegal cannabis sellers appeared first on L.A. Cannabis News.

Credit: Source link

Share160Tweet100SendShare28Pin36
Previous Post

High Times Suspends Print Magazine for Now

Next Post

Bosque de cannabis crece libre en la puerta del Senado mexicano

Related Posts

Como Conservar La Marihuana Por Mucho Tiempo
News

Como Conservar La Marihuana Por Mucho Tiempo

January 26, 2023
Huge decision: FDA won’t restrict CBD sales, calls for ‘new regulatory pathway’ to assure safety
News

Huge decision: FDA won’t restrict CBD sales, calls for ‘new regulatory pathway’ to assure safety

January 26, 2023
Upstate New York Officials Clash Over New Cannabis Regulations
News

Upstate New York Officials Clash Over New Cannabis Regulations

January 26, 2023
Nike Challenges Trademark of Hemp Company Slogan ‘Just Hemp It’
News

Nike Challenges Trademark of Hemp Company Slogan ‘Just Hemp It’

January 26, 2023
Load More
Next Post
Bosque de cannabis crece libre en la puerta del Senado mexicano

Bosque de cannabis crece libre en la puerta del Senado mexicano

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Updates

FDA declines to regulate CBD; calls on Congress for fix

FDA declines to regulate CBD; calls on Congress for fix

January 26, 2023
Como Conservar La Marihuana Por Mucho Tiempo

Como Conservar La Marihuana Por Mucho Tiempo

January 26, 2023
Soft Secrets “Perfect Grow” What Makes a Great Seed?

Soft Secrets “Perfect Grow” What Makes a Great Seed?

January 26, 2023
Huge decision: FDA won’t restrict CBD sales, calls for ‘new regulatory pathway’ to assure safety

Huge decision: FDA won’t restrict CBD sales, calls for ‘new regulatory pathway’ to assure safety

January 26, 2023
Health Canada: Let’s Ban Potent Cannabis Extracts  – Cannabis | Weed | Marijuana

Health Canada: Let’s Ban Potent Cannabis Extracts  – Cannabis | Weed | Marijuana

January 26, 2023
CBDBuzzz.com

This is an online news portal that aims to share latest news about "News, Culture, Science, Health, Shop" and much more stuff like that. Feel free to get in touch with us!

Recent News

FDA declines to regulate CBD; calls on Congress for fix

FDA declines to regulate CBD; calls on Congress for fix

January 26, 2023
Como Conservar La Marihuana Por Mucho Tiempo

Como Conservar La Marihuana Por Mucho Tiempo

January 26, 2023

Subscribe Now

Loading
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy

© 2020 matans3.sg-host.com - All rights reserved!

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Culture
  • Science
  • Health
  • Videos
  • Shop

© 2020 matans3.sg-host.com - All rights reserved!