On Friday, April 3rd the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) announced an extension to receiving public comments for the formal rulemaking of the Cannabis Appellation Program, which are now due on Wednesday, May 6, 2020. Similarly, the public hearing originally scheduled for Tuesday, April 14th has been postponed. CalCannabis, the licensing entity for cannabis cultivators within the CDFA, is required to establish a process for Cannabis Appellations of Origin by January 1, 2021 pursuant to Senate Bill 94 (2017). The Cannabis Appellations Program will promote regional cannabis products and their respective local businesses to prevent the misrepresentation of a cannabis product’s origin, thus supporting consumer confidence.
More information on Cannabis Appellations can be found here. RCRC submitted comments last week prior to the original deadline. RCRC’s letter, which is the result of RCRC’s participation in the working group convened by CalCannabis, can be accessed here.