DCC oversaw more than 480 embargoes in 2024 which prevented thousands of potentially adulterated products from being purchased by consumers
SACRAMENTO – As part of the Department’s overall efforts to protect consumers, DCC has intensified its product safety efforts by targeting cannabis products that fail to meet California’s rigorous safety standards prior to reaching consumers.
In 2024, the Department issued 481 embargoes resulting in hundreds of thousands of products, and a significant amount of pre-product materials, being pulled from the supply chain. Embargoes ensure that these products are withheld from the market until internal investigations confirm their safety or determine that their safety cannot be established, in which case destruction of those products is mandated.
In addition to improving consumer protection through embargoes in 2024, DCC’s product investigations team issued 63 product recalls that affected 259 products. All of DCC’s recalls resulted in the removal of almost 25,000 individual units from the shelves of legal retailers.
“DCC is using every resource at its disposal to ensure cannabis products meet safety standards before they reach the marketplace,” said Nicole Elliott, Director of the Department of Cannabis Control. “We are constantly learning and refining our investigative and recall processes to make California’s market stronger and safer while building upon a compliance model that consumers can trust.”
To improve its oversight of the state’s licensed cannabis businesses and the over 30,000 different products (totaling over 100 million units) available in California’s marketplace, DCC continues to strengthen collaboration with state agencies including to identify and address contamination. In addition, DCC is using California Cannabis Track and Trace data to assess and investigate licensee practices and products and, when necessary, remove products from the marketplace quickly.
“Consumer trust in tested, regulated cannabis is the cornerstone of a successful legal marketplace,” stated Elliott. “To help reinforce this trust our message to licensees is very clear: compliance with California’s safety regulations is non-negotiable. When safety standards are not met, we will hold you accountable.”
To support the overall efforts of regulating the licensed market in a proactive manner, DCC issued 366 disciplinary actions against licensees in 2024, including 230 license suspensions and 73 license denials or revocations. Of the 366 disciplinary actions, 21 were taken against licensed testing labs which included four license revocations or denials and three license suspensions.
About the DCC:
The California Department of Cannabis Control licenses and regulates commercial cannabis activity. From licensing to policy, the DCC is committed to ensuring California’s legal cannabis market reflects the state’s rich history and legacy operators as part of creating a sustainable legal cannabis industry and a safe and equitable marketplace.
To learn more about the California cannabis market, state licenses or laws, visit cannabis.ca.gov.
