California needs better laws for cannabis.

Let’s start by listening to people who know the most about it.

Our community is concerned. No, that’s an understatement: much of California’s cannabis community has been freaking the fuck out for months.

In November, California legalized the adult use of cannabis by a margin of 2 million votes. The state tasked regulators with the herculean mission of interpreting and implementing the new laws. Their efforts to learn about cannabis and hear our concerns are undeniable and commendable. Yet their hand was largely dealt by the text they were given: many of the rules they are being asked to carry out were already set for them, not by them.

Now cannabis is rapidly becoming an industry regulated, restricted and taxed like no other. The state’s over-regulation will likely result in the destruction of the majority of businesses currently operating. This is not the legalization we dreamed of.

But it’s the one we got. After announcing their proposed regulations (drafted to implement the MCRSA), the three agencies involved hit the road to gather comments from the public. The Bureau of Cannabis Control, CalCannabis and the Office of Manufactured Cannabis Safety held hearings across the state to gather feedback and suggestions on the new rules.