What’s changing

The first key changes that will occur are:

Merging the organizational structure of the three programs into one

Creating a new cannabis website for statewide information

We will create as much continuity and consistency as possible as we transition into DCC. Our teams will continue to serve and work with you in the same ways. We will also continue to use the current licensing systems.

Improvements will happen over time, with the continued input of stakeholders, local governments and policymakers. Establishing DCC and simplifying the regulatory structure will be an ongoing process.

Why they’re consolidating

For nearly four years, three different state programs licensed and regulated cannabis businesses. They were the:

Bureau of Cannabis Control, in the Department of Consumer Affairs

Manufactured Cannabis Safety Branch, in the Department of Public Health

CalCannabis Cultivation Licensing, in the Department of Food and Agriculture

That structure provided expertise and resources when the state cannabis programs were being created. But it also made regulations, licensing and point-of-contacts more complicated.

In 2020, Governor Newsom proposed to simplify that structure by merging the three cannabis programs into a single, new state department. California created DCC on July 12, 2021.