The Adult use of marijuana in California may very well be legal, however, the counties and cities within the Golden State are still free to implement specific regulations as they see fit. Use the following guide to introduce yourself to the complex world of marijuana legalization in California.
The Basics
This can all become rather complicated, and there is no one source to look up all the cities and counties with their marijuana regulations. Instead, you are required to look up each city and county individually if you wish to see the regulations for each area. To help you, here are some specifics that are throughout the Golden State. Again, just be sure to check your own city or county before you commence with the green.
• Adults over the age of 21 are permitted to have a maximum of one ounce of cannabis on them.
• Those who wish to sell cannabis are required to obtain the specific licence. If marijuana is sold without the appropriate licence then those sellers will be subject to jail time up to six months. Selling marijuana without the appropriate licence is considered a misdemeanor.
• Adults are allowed to grow up to six marijuana plants on their private property. Individual cities and counties have specific regulations regarding this law, especially regarding the outdoor growing of the plants. Some areas do not permit the outdoor growing of the cannabis plants at all while some allow just one or two as long as they are concealed and cannot be seen from the outside.
Medical Marijuana
California was one of the pioneer states for the implementation of medical marijuana. Their medical marijuana program has set the precedent for a successful recreational marijuana industry however the long-standing medical dispensaries and suppliers have also been a hiccup in the road to a regulated and streamlined market. This is mainly due to new licensing structures surrounding the growth, distribution, and sale of cannabis that have changed and even though existing institutions were granted a grace period to acquire new licensing they are still struggling to change everything they have crafted over the past two decades.
At present, those who do have a medical marijuana card obtained from a doctor do not have a limit on the number of plants that they are allowed to grow. Medical marijuana patients are permitted to grow an unlimited number of cannabis plants. Again, be sure to check your own city and county.
Commercial Cannabis Cultivation
If you looking at starting a commercial cannabis cultivations and supply business then you will need to stick by very strict and specific parameters and laws.
Cannabis cultivators that are growing to sell marijuana on a commercial scale have to abide by specific regulations. Those that are cultivating cannabis for commercial use need to keep a supply of water during the rainy season. This is to prevent commercial cannabis farmers from compromising natural sources in order to obtain water for their crops. legal cultivators often have grown sites that use dangerous pesticides and are growing marijuana in an unethical manner, highlighting the importance of regulations in the marijuana farming market.
City and County Regulations Database
The laws and regulations surrounding California’s marijuana regulations are complicated at best, especially as they are still busy being fine-tuned. If you are looking for a legal dispensary to obtain your cannabis, medical or recreational, there are a few government regulated sites that can provide a listing of dispensaries in your area. This Orange County Register provides a database for the laws and regulations for each city and county. You will need to go to the database and insert your area and select a few different potions detailing the type of laws or regulations you are looking for. For example, are you looking for adult-use or just medical marijuana laws? Do you want to be able to light up a joint or just have it in an edible or tincture form? These can be various and the regulations and differences between each area.
What to Buy
So now that some of the legal parameters are out of the way, and you have navigated your way through the Californian sea of cannabis laws, you find yourself at a dispensary or on an online dispensary. The first step is to know what kind of marijuana you want. This is done through a number of ways. You can amble down the path of self-education, weeding out the nonsense from the fact until you arrive at some semblance of truth or you can simply speak with those who know their weed from their herb. Marijuana may not have been legalized until recently but that did not stop people from becoming passionate experts on the plant. There are people who know so much about the different strains of marijuana, all through trial and error and passionate study. These are the people to trust. If you are unsure of what to use for your first marijuana experience then ask the folks at the dispensary, they are usually all too happy to spread some knowledge of the gravely misunderstood marijuana plant.
Tax
One thing that may catch you off guard is the pricing. Bear in mind that a hearty tax is implemented on marijuana sales, but before you rant and rave remember that the tax is still less than bail and until recently we did not even have the option to pay tax. The system is still being worked out, all the kinks will be ironed out. For now, choose quality bud over the quantity of bud and you should save yourself some money in the long run.
