Up in smoke: new California law could send $350m worth of cannabis to incinerator

Rules requiring special packaging and lab testing lead to fears of legal weed shortages

Alex Halperin in Los Angeles
Fri 29 Jun 2018 21.14 BST

About $350m worth of cannabis products could be destroyed as new regulations take effect on Sunday in California.

New rules stipulate that all cannabis products must be sold in child-resistant packaging, and must be lab-tested for potency and a variety of contaminants. Additionally, edibles will be limited to 100mg of THC per package, divided into 10mg servings.

The long-anticipated switch has prompted California dispensaries to sell non-compliant products at steep discounts. Amid the buyers’ market, dispensaries that overstocked the items are feeling the brunt of the rule change.

The United Cannabis Business Alliance estimates the damage from products that have to be destroyed could exceed $350m.

“We’re sort of at the point where the rubber meets the road,” the Los Angeles marijuana business attorney Ariel Clark said. “It’s a rough transition for a lot of people across the state.”

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