IMPORTANT LICENSING UPDATE FOR
TEMPORARY CANNABIS LICENSEES

The Bureau of Cannabis Control, California Department of Public Health, and California Department of Food and Agriculture are taking steps to prevent gaps in licensure when active temporary commercial cannabis licenses expire.

Each licensing authority is tracking expiration dates of temporary licenses and intends to issue a provisional license to qualified temporary license holders before their current temporary license expires.

To qualify for a provisional license, an applicant must: 
  • Hold or have held a temporary license for the same premises and the same commercial cannabis activity for which the provisional license will be issued; and
  • Have submitted a completed license application to the licensing authority, which must include a document or statement indicating that California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) compliance is underway. 

If you are contacted by your state licensing authority for additional information, please respond promptly so that processing of a provisional license is not delayed.

Please note that a completed application for purposes of obtaining a provisional license is not the same as a sufficient application to obtain an annual license. Licensees issued a provisional license are expected to be diligently working toward completing all annual license requirements in order to maintain a provisional license.

Temporary or provisional licensees must meet all statutory and regulatory requirements in order to receive an annual license.

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About the Manufactured Cannabis Safety Branch
The California Department of Public Health’s Manufactured Cannabis Safety Branch (MCSB) is one of three state licensing authorities charged with oversight of commercial cannabis activity in California. MCSB is responsible for licensing and regulating cannabis manufacturers and for establishing statewide standards for packaging and labeling of cannabis and cannabis products.

MCSB strives to protect public health and safety by ensuring commercial cannabis manufacturers operate safe, sanitary workplaces and follow good manufacturing practices to produce products that are free of contaminants, meet product guidelines and are properly packaged and labeled.

For more information, visit www.cdph.ca.gov/mcs b . If you have any questions, contact us at mcsb@cdph.ca.gov .