Please be aware that lawful participation by bureau licensees in any temporary cannabis event that allows sales and/or consumption is dependent upon issuance of the appropriate licenses from the bureau. (Cal. Code Regs., tit. 16, §§ 5600 and 5601.) All participants involved in on-site sales of cannabis goods at a temporary cannabis event must either be a licensed retailer or a licensed microbusiness authorized to conduct retail sales. (Cal. Code Regs., tit. 16, § 5602.)
Any bureau licensee participating in an unlicensed cannabis event may be subject to disciplinary action.
Qualified patients and the designated caregivers of qualified patients that continue to operate collectively or cooperatively without a state cannabis license are not subject to certain state criminal sanctions based solely on their cultivation or manufacturing of cannabis for medicinal purposes pursuant to Health and Safety Code section 11362.775, until the section is repealed on Jan. 9, 2019.
However, nothing in section 11362.775 expressly authorizes “collectives” or “cooperatives” to participate in cannabis events, commonly known as “Proposition 215” events, where cannabis is sold and/or consumed. Participation in such events may lead to civil penalties for unlicensed commercial cannabis activity, pursuant to Business and Professions Code section 26038.
For additional resources on cannabis events and instructions on how to apply for a temporary cannabis event organizer license, please visit the following link: http://www.bcc.ca.gov/licensees/event_organizer.html
For questions about the licensing application, please email bcc@dca.ca.gov.
