| California Department of Cannabis Control | |
| Formed: | 2015 as Bureau of Cannabis Control |
| Jurisdiction: | California |
| Minister1 Name: | Alexis Podesta |
| Minister1 Pfo: | California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency |
| Chief1 Name: | Nicole Elliott |
| Chief1 Position: | Director |
| Parent Department: | California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency |
| Website: | cannabis.ca.gov |
The Department of Cannabis Control (formerly the Bureau of Cannabis Control, originally established as Bureau of Marijuana Control under Proposition 64,[1] [2] formerly the Bureau of Medical Marijuana Regulation[3]) is an agency of the State of California within the Department of Consumer Affairs, charged with regulating medical cannabis (MMJ) in accordance with state law pursuant to the Medical Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act passed by the legislature in 2015 (amended in 2016) and the Adult Use of Marijuana Act (Proposition 64), passed by voter initiative in November 2016. The agency was charged with creating rules for the legal non-medical market to take effect January 1, 2018; and to regulate the state's multibillion dollar medical program for the first time. The first agency leader, Lori Ajax, referred to in multiple media outlets as the state's cannabis "czar", was appointed by the governor in February 2017. State senator Mike McGuire has expressed doubt that the board would meet deadlines to allow regulated retail sales by 2018 as planned.[4]
When the agency published emergency rules on November 16, 2017 under California Code of Regulations, Title 16, Division 42, it effectively became the Bureau of Cannabis Control.[5]
In July 2021, following the signing of California Assembly Bill 141, California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency's Bureau of Cannabis Control, California Department of Food and Agriculture's CalCannabis Cultivation Licensing Division, and California Department of Public Health's Manufactured Cannabis Safety Branch were consolidated into the Department of Cannabis Control.[6]
Created in 2022, the Unified Cannabis Enforcement Taskforce (UCETF), staffed by local, state and federal partners, is jointly run by the Department of Cannabis Control and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, with coordination run by the Homeland Security Division of Cal OES, to disrupt the illegal cannabis market.[7]