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California cannabis consumers will soon face a rude awakening as the July 1 deadline on testing requirements swiftly approaches. First, prices could drop substantially, but soon after, dispensaries could face shortages of tested cannabis.
“The transition period in the licensing authorities’ regulations allowing exceptions from specific regulatory provisions ends on June 30, 2018,” a reminder from the Bureau of Cannabis Control reads. “Beginning July 1, 2018, cannabis goods must meet all statutory and regulatory requirements. Cannabis goods that do not meet all statutory and regulatory requirements must be destroyed in accordance with the rules pertaining to destruction.
Alex Traverso, spokesperson for the state’s cannabis bureau, said that businesses have been provided with a “sufficient” amount of time to prepare for the testing requirement deadline. The Bureau of Cannabis Control has licensed only 28 labs statewide, and some of them aren’t open yet.
Beginning July 1, businesses must abide by the following rules to stay compliant:
• Untested cannabis products cannot be sold by a retailer and must be destroyed. Retailers are not allowed to send cannabis goods to a distributor for testing.
• Any untested cannabis products manufactured or harvested before Jan. 1, 2018, in possession of a distributor that are owned by the distributor must be destroyed.
• Untested cannabis goods manufactured or harvested before Jan. 1, 2018, in the possession of a distributor owned by a manufacturer or cultivator may be returned to the licensee who owns the cannabis goods. If a cultivator or manufacturer decides to sell the returned cannabis products, it must be sent to a distributor for testing and must meet all of the testing requirements.
Consumers can expect a bottleneck effect as the bulk of untested cannabis products need to get pushed out before July 1. It’s unclear to what degree the requirements will be enforced, but state funds to beef up enforcement on illegal cannabis have been cut.
Half of cannabis consumers using medicinally
According to a new consumer report, almost half of U.S. cannabis consumers identify as medical cannabis patients even where it is legal for recreational consumption.
Cannabis consumer behavior researcher team High Yield Insights released a new study on medical cannabis consumer behaviors and product preferences. Medical Cannabis User follows the May HYI study Recreational Cannabis Consumer. The report suggests that adults in states where recreational consumption was legal were using fewer over-the-counter medications and were also consuming less alcohol.
The data for this and other HYI studies was gathered with survey data from Oregon, Nevada, Washington, California, Colorado and Michigan from 1,511 respondents who had consumed cannabis in the last three months (with 611 of the respondents identifying as medical patients).
The new report found that even in states where cannabis is legalized for recreational consumption, 44 percent of consumers self-identify as using for medical reasons. Sixty-nine percent use cannabis for pain relief, 65 percent for sleep assistance and 54 percent use medical cannabis to combat anxiety. They are also two times more likely to check the levels of CBD in the product than a recreational consumer.
The report stated that medical cannabis consumers also want discretion and convenience in their consumption, with 22 percent opting for topicals twice as much as recreational users and 17 percent are three times as likely to use tinctures.
“Flower will always play a significant role, but medical users are seeking solutions that feel familiar and accessible,” said Mike Luce, cofounder of HYI. “With edibles, we’re seeing a demand for low-dose, fast-onset options that meet users’ needs for discretion and convenience. CBD-focused companies also have an opportunity for growth if aligned with medical cannabis users’ interest in what today are niche product forms.”
The firm will be issuing categorical reports on cannabis product consumption choices later this summer.
Read the original stories here.
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