Frequently asked questions
Q: What licenses are required to hold a temporary cannabis event?
A: You need two licenses to hold a cannabis event. First you must obtain a cannabis event organizer license. Next, you must apply for a temporary cannabis event license at least 60 calendar days before the first day of the temporary cannabis event and obtain the license before the event begins.
Q: How long is the temporary cannabis event license valid?
A: A temporary cannabis event license will only be issued for a single day or up to 4 consecutive days. No temporary cannabis event licenses will be issued for more than 4 days. In your application, you must request a temporary event license for the days you intend to hold the event.
Q: As a cannabis event organizer do I have to be onsite at the event?
A: You must have a designated contact person(s) who will be onsite at the event and reachable by telephone at all times during the event. The designated contact person(s) must be disclosed in your application for the temporary cannabis event.
Q: What are the security requirements for a temporary cannabis event?
A: The cannabis event organizer must hire or contract for security personnel to provide security services at the licensed temporary cannabis event. Security personnel must be at least 21 years of age, licensed by the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services, and comply with chapters 11.4 and 11.5 of division 3 of the Business and Professions Code.
Security personnel must be present on the licensed premises at all times cannabis goods are available for sale or consumption of cannabis goods is allowed.
Q: Who can attend a temporary cannabis event?
A: Only persons 21 years of age or older.
Q: Who can sell cannabis goods at a temporary cannabis event?
A: Only licensed retailers (including non-storefront retailers) and licensed microbusinesses authorized to conduct retail sales may sell cannabis goods at a temporary cannabis event.
Q: Where can sales of cannabis goods occur?
A: All sales of cannabis goods at a temporary cannabis event must occur in an area designated for retail sales in the premises diagram.
- Sales activities by a licensed retailer or microbusiness may only occur within the licensee’s specifically assigned area that was identified in the premises diagram. Mobile sales activities via wagon, car, or similar means are prohibited.
- All cannabis goods made available for sale at a temporary cannabis event shall comply with all track and trace requirements in compliance with 4 CCR §15602.
A: Do cannabis goods, to be sold at an event, need to be transported to and from a temporary cannabis event by a distributor?
A: Yes. Cannabis goods that will be offered for sale by a licensed retailer or microbusiness must be transported from the licensed premises of the retailer or microbusiness to the event by a licensed distributor. At the end of the event unsold cannabis goods must be transported by a licensed distributor back to the premises of the licensed retailer or microbusiness.
- Distributors may conduct transport for more than one licensee at a time in accordance with the regulations.
Q: Do daily sales limits apply at a temporary cannabis event?
A: Yes. The daily limits for both adult-use and medicinal use apply. Customers cannot purchase more than the applicable adult-use or medicinal amount.
Daily limits
- For adult-use daily limits are:
- 28.5 grams of non-concentrated cannabis
- 8 grams of cannabis concentrates
- 6 immature cannabis plants
- For medicinal use daily limits are:
- The amount documented on a valid physician’s recommendation OR
- 8 ounces of medicinal cannabis in the form of dried mature flower
- 12 immature cannabis plants.
Do retailers have to verify the age of a customer purchasing cannabis goods?
Yes. Prior to selling cannabis goods to a customer, the licensed retailer making the sale, must confirm, using valid identification, the age and identity of the customer.
Verification options
- A document issued by a federal, state, county, or municipal government, or a political subdivision or agency thereof, including, but not limited to, a valid motor vehicle operator’s license, that contains the name, date of birth, height, gender, and photo of the person.
- A valid identification card issued to a member of the Armed Forces that includes the person’s name, date of birth, and photo; or
- A valid passport issued by the United States or by a foreign government.
Q: Do cannabis goods available for sale have to comply with packaging and labeling requirements?
Yes. All cannabis goods available for sale must meet the requirements of sections 15406 and 15413 of the regulations.
Q: Do retail displays of cannabis goods at a temporary cannabis event have to comply with requirements for storefront retail displays?
A: Yes. All retailers must display their cannabis goods in compliance with section 15405 of the regulations.
Packaging requirements
- Cannabis and cannabis products may be removed from their packaging and placed in containers to allow for customer inspection. The containers must not be readily accessible to customers without assistance of retailer personnel. A container must be provided to the customer by the licensed retailer or its employees, who shall remain with the customer at all times that the container is being inspected by the customer.
- Cannabis and cannabis products removed from their packaging for display must not be sold or consumed when the cannabis and cannabis products are no longer used for display.
Q: Can licensees give out free samples or “tastes” of cannabis goods?
A: No. Free cannabis goods including samples or “tastes” of cannabis goods are prohibited.
Q: Can free medicinal cannabis goods be provided at a temporary cannabis event?
A: Yes, provided the free medicinal cannabis goods are provided in accordance with section 15411 of the regulations.
Q: Can free cannabis accessories be given out?
A: No. Licensees are prohibited from giving away cannabis accessories.
Q: Can cannabis accessories be loaned to attendees for use at the event?
A: Yes, provided the licensee loaning the cannabis accessory does not give the accessory away and receives it back from the consumer.
Q: Can branded merchandise be given away?
A: Yes, provided the branded merchandise is not also a cannabis accessory.
Q: Can alcohol or tobacco be sold or consumed at a temporary cannabis event?
A: No. Sales of alcohol or tobacco are strictly prohibited at temporary cannabis events and a temporary cannabis license. Consumption of alcohol or tobacco is prohibited on the licensed premises.
Q: Can alcohol or tobacco be sold or consumed at a temporary cannabis event?
A: No. Sales of alcohol or tobacco are strictly prohibited at temporary cannabis events and a temporary cannabis license. Consumption of alcohol or tobacco is prohibited on the licensed premises.
Can licensed cultivators or manufacturers participate in a temporary cannabis event?
A: Yes. Licensees who are not retailers may participate in licensed temporary cannabis events and may display their cannabis or cannabis products in limited amounts.
Participation details
- Up to 85.5 grams of non-concentrated cannabis, 24 grams of cannabis concentrate, 18 immature plants, and 21 seeds may be displayed by licensees who are not retailers.
- Cannabis and cannabis products for display may be brought to the licensed event by:
- A licensed distributor.
- The licensee or their employees. In this case, the amount being transported cannot exceed the adult-use possession limits established in section 11362.1 of the Health and Safety Code: 28.5 of non-concentrated cannabis and 8 grams of concentrated cannabis.
- Cannabis and cannabis products may be removed from their packaging and placed in containers to allow for attendee inspection. The containers must not be readily accessible to attendees without assistance of the licensee’s employees. A container must be provided to the attendee by the licensee’s employees, who must remain with the attendee at all times that the container is being inspected.
- Cannabis and cannabis products removed from their packaging for display must not be sold or consumed when the cannabis and cannabis products are no longer used for display.
Q: Can unlicensed persons display cannabis or cannabis products?
A: No. Only licensed commercial cannabis businesses may display cannabis or cannabis products.
Q: Do employees working at an event need to be identified in any way?
A: Yes. All persons acting for or employed by a licensee participating in a temporary cannabis event must display a laminated or plastic-coated identification badge issued by the licensee at all times while engaging in commercial cannabis activity. The identification badge shall, at a minimum, include the licensee’s “doing business as” name and license number, the employee’s first name, an employee number exclusively assigned to that employee for identification purposes, and a color photograph of the employee that clearly shows the full front of the employee’s face and that is at least 1 inch in width and 1.5 inches in height.
