Audit Reveals California Struggling to Regulate Cannabis Market

[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]A[/dropcap] recent look at how California’s regulatory agency for legal cannabis is working out has shown that the state might need to do more to keep things under control.

According to KTLA, an audit by the State of California Department of Finance found that about two-thirds of the 219 staff positions available with the Bureau of Cannabis Control (BCC), set in place in the state to oversee regulations, still haven’t been filled.  The BCC is still relatively new, as is the entire California cannabis industry, but the audit explains that “the current status and location of personnel is not sustainable to provide effective and comprehensive oversight of cannabis activities throughout California.”

Many of the audit’s revelations focus on how unevenly legal cannabis was rolled out in the state. During the days when California only had legal medical cannabis, the recreational black market was still thriving, and black market shops continue to thrive despite legalization. There are also many areas in California that don’t have access to cannabis, while other places are flooded with too many dispensaries. Some local governments have banned cannabis, while others embrace it.

In response to these charges the BCC claims that it had to start at the very beginning with a brand new agency, so of course there would be hiccups and setbacks compared to other organizations.  “Unlike most state government programs, the bureau was simultaneously starting from the ground up on multiple fronts,” the response reads. They also added that despite this, they welcome the feedback and hope to do better in the future.

So far, the audit only examined the BCC and not the other two cannabis regulatory agencies in California (the Department of Food and Agriculture, the agency which oversees cultivation, and the Public Health Department, which regulates manufacturers).

It’s no surprise that the lack of regulation in California still persists. The state even had to resort to an ad campaign to try and reduce illegal cannabis transactions and, like other states, they are still trying to work out the kinks with cannabis banking. As the industry grows, California’s regulations will need to catch up.