Weed At The County Fair, Marijuana Delivery: Lawmakers Outline California's Future

LOS ANGELES, CA — With the specter of California on weed less than a year away, state lawmakers approved legislation that illustrates what that might look like: pot samples at the county fair, home delivery, organic label regulations and an industry a lot like the craft beer model.

Lawmakers went deep into the weeds this week approving a massive and detailed piece of legislation regulating the soon-to-be $7 billion recreational marijuana industry in California. The governor is widely expected to sign the legislation, and California is soon to embark on a monumental experiment blending the lessons learned from medicinal marijuana and alcohol while bringing a once illicit industry into the fold.

The Associated Press this week published a primer on what to expect under the new law when recreational marijuana becomes legal. The legislation outlines regulations governing marijuana businesses while promoting a new, "baseline rules for marijuana businesses and was crafted to promote a new artisanal industry in a state that has embraced craft beer and small wineries," according to the Associated Press.

“With temporary licenses from the state, businesses would be allowed to sell pot and provide samples at county fairs, regional agricultural associations and cannabis festivals,” according to the Associated Press. “It would require state regulators to come up with rules for marijuana producers to call their goods organic — an important designation for California consumers that cannot be used on pot under federal rules. The state would also create standards for official marijuana varietals and growing regions, known as appellations, so craft producers can distinguish their products based on the unique strain and growing conditions like winemakers do.”

The new regulations also govern designations such as “organic,” and provides funding for a new marijuana permitting process and regulatory industry.

In November, California voters overwhelming passed Prop. 64 legalizing recreational marijuana use for anyone 21 and over. That puts California in conflict with federal law which still prohibits the sale of weed. It also means your employer can still fire you if you test positive for marijuana use. As with alcohol, driving under the influence of marijuana will be illegal as will possession of open containers in the car. Unlike alcohol, there is still not an accurate method of testing for marijuana impairment.

Photo: Martin Alonso via flickr.com