State Unveils New Consolidated Cannabis Department

One of the deals struck in this year’s FY 2021-22 State Budget was the consolidation of the state’s three legalized cannabis governing departments (Bureau of Cannabis Control, California Department of Public Health, and Department of Food and Agriculture) into one centralized department now known as the Department of Cannabis Control (DCC). The intent of this consolidation is to improve access to cannabis licensing, simplify regulatory oversight of commercial cannabis activity, and to improve enforcement of both the legal and illegal cannabis market. Following his signature on the budget trailer bill creating the new Department earlier this week, Governor Newsom appointed several key positions for the DCC including Nicole Elliott as Director and Rasha Salama as the DCC’s Chief Deputy Director.