You need a distribution license to transport cannabis and cannabis products in California. Distributors can transport:
- Goods they cultivated or manufactured
- Goods for other businesses
Distribution licenses
The type and cost of distribution license depends on whether you:
- Transport cannabis goods to retail
- Store cannabis goods
- Transport for other businesses
Role in testing and quality assurance
Type 11 distributors make sure a licensed testing laboratory tests all batches of cannabis goods before they are sold. The distributor:
- Arranges for a testing laboratory to take a sample of cannabis
- Holds the cannabis goods while the laboratory runs the required tests
- Makes sure the date on the corresponding Certificate of Analysis is less than 12 months old
Distributors can only transport cannabis goods to a retailer for sale if they pass testing. Goods that fail testing are destroyed or sent to a manufacturer for remediation.
Before transporting goods to a retailer, type 11 distributors also conduct a quality assurance review to make sure:
- Required information is on the label
- The packaging protects the product from contamination
- It’s not a prohibited product
- The amount of THC in the product is within the limits