Though they are not finalized, current plans outlaw volatile cannabis extraction within city limits.
Of all cities in California, the Los Angeles city government is probably dealing with the most confusion between licensed and unlicensed cannabis dispensaries. Between the huge population in the city and the massive amount of cannabis entrepreneurs who have sprung from the area; it is surely the most saturated market in the state. That being said, the latest city hall proposal that included cannabis regulations from Los Angeles would outlaw all “volatile cannabis manufacturing”.
Unfortunately “volatile cannabis manufacturing” labels anywhere from 30-60% of the legal cannabis market. Extractions don’t only fill the concentrate industry, they serve most of the edible manufacturing industry as well. Distillates, a flavorless distilled cannabis extraction, are often used in cannabis edibles because they are flavorless and easy to dose. The proposed regulations are causing industry professionals to urge City Council President Herb Wesson to reconsider the regulations. Many are concerned that these regulations would push business operations outside of city lines, leaving Los Angeles city out of the imminent California cannabis boom.
These laws come from a couple of headlines citing amateur extractors blowing up their homes in an attempt to become an extractor in their basement. But these operations are already illegal, and the new regulations would edge out licensed chemists who are trained to safely manage machinery in a clean, laboratory environment. According to LA Weekly Executive Director of the Southern California Coalition Adam Spiker is planning to form a lobbying group to ensure this ban doesn’t go through.
Spiker asserted, “Southern California Coalition strongly believes the cannabis industry should be allowed to use the same manufacturing processes used to make everyday household items such as shampoos, makeup, vitamins, medicines and children’s products in the city. It makes no sense to ban a proven, safe and reliable manufacturing process for compliant and licensed businesses, and we will continue to work hard to ensure that is not the case.”
