File photo.

Press release from Assemblymember Jim Wood’s office:

Sacramento – Today, Assemblymember Jim Wood’s “Cottage Cannabis Farmers Bill,” AB 2516, achieved a significant milestone when the Governor signed it. This bill creates a new medical cannabis cultivator license category for “micro farmers.”

Wood said, “We are so proud to have fought for this legislation and thankful to Governor Brown for his signature. This law will help ensure that small medical cannabis growers on the North Coast can comply with regulations as this industry moves forward, providing certainty and predictability. It’s just not fair to require the small farmers to adhere to the same standards as larger operations. Now the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) will be required to develop regulations for 2018 that address the unique characteristics of small farm practices.”

The technical requirements for the new license type 1C, or specialty cottage cultivator license, are for farms with 2,500 square feet or less of total canopy size for mixed-light cultivation, up to 25 mature plants for outdoor cultivation, or 500 square feet or less of total canopy size for indoor cultivation, on one premises. CDFA will issue the licenses to qualified candidates as well as develop the requirements for each license type.

“Last year the Legislature developed the Medical Marijuana Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act in an attempt to address the environmental, public safety and public health issues in the industry,” said Wood. “As this industry moves forward, we need to make sure that all farmers, regardless of size, can come into compliance – that’s what success looks like.”