As the end of the year quickly approaches there are several critical deadlines operators cannot miss.
As of December 31st temporary licenses will no longer be granted. In order to be processed before the new year the temporary application has to be submitted no later than December 1st. In order to receive an extension of a currently held temporary license you have to submit your annual license application(s) and pay the application fee by December 31st. If you do not have all the required documentation for an annual license application or are still in the permitting process with the County, you must provide the State with an explanation for the absence of any required item in the application materials.
Since temporary licenses are no longer being issued, the State created the provisional license. In order to qualify for a provisional license, an applicant must hold or have held a temporary license for the same premises and same commercial cannabis activity for which the provisional license will be issued. Secondly, the applicant must have completed, submitted and paid the fee for their annual application that includes evidence that compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) is underway. The provisional license is valid for 12 months and adherence to track-and-trace requirements are mandatory.
It is important to adhere to the State’s requirements. If you are operating without a license issued by the State you are subject to civil penalties and the cannabis may be ordered to be destroyed.
Jennifer Rosenthal is a local cannabis and criminal defense attorney. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and does not reflect an official position of the Association.