In a massive system overall, California Governor Gavin Newsom’s newly formed Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) has officially been established, leadership roles have been filled and announced, and the department is beginning to roll out new regulations as of early August.

California’s new DCC, originally introduced as a proposal in Assembly Bill 141 (also known as the Trailer Bill) back in July, combines three state agencies under one multi-faceted umbrella: 

• The Department of Food and Agriculture’s CalCannabis Cultivation Licensing Division
• The Department of Consumer Affairs’ Bureau of Cannabis Control
• The Department of Public Health’s Manufactured Cannabis Safety Branch

This merger is the culmination of over a year of hearing from the public, business owners, law enforcement, local officials, and more, according to Christina Dempsey, the DCC’s deputy director of external affairs, as she was quoted in MJBiz Daily. “[We heard] it was complicated to work with three different state cannabis programs,” said Dempsey, explaining how the merger got its momentum. There have been 26 new key roles added throughout the new DCC, which is now comprised of about 400 employees across 10 divisions and is led by director Nicole Elliot, a long-time confidant for Newsom. 

In a DCC press release from the day Newson signed the Trailer Bill, Newson is quoted saying “We’ve taken another significant step forward to fulfill the opportunities of legalization and better serve all Californians. We will continue building upon our efforts to foster a diverse and inclusive industry, protect consumer and public safety, safeguard our environment and advance economic opportunity for small businesses.” It’s going to be a long, winding road for the DCC as they attempt to make good on those promises, but it already seems as if they’re genuinely trying to consider everyone involved and affected by the regulations and laws surrounding cannabis in California. Some of the agency’s goals, according to Director Dempsey, are to “Boost the number of businesses participating in the legal market, ease the licensing process for applicants and keep licensed operators compliant,” the second of which is a particularly timely issue to address. 

On top of everything else in Assembly Bill 141, strict licensing stipulations declared that as of 2025, the DCC will be prohibited from distributed provisional licenses. As of the next year, no provisional licenses will be allowed in California, home to the world’s largest legal and illegal cannabis markets. While obtaining the soon-to-be-required annual licenses is a financial and sometimes legal headache for many, the DCC is apparently rolling out a $100 million Local Assistance Grant Program specifically to help licensees and local governments handle the upcoming changeover.