Community Resources

Sacramento City Council

The City of Sacramento is a Charter City with legislative powers held by a publicly elected nine-member body referred to as the City Council. The Mayor and one member from each of the City’s eight districts make up the City Council. The City Council Members are also members of separate legislative bodies such as the Financing Authority, Housing Authority, and the Redevelopment Agency. When these legislative bodies meet concurrently with the City Council it is noted in the meeting materials.

City of Sacramento – Cannabis Information for Business

The City of Sacramento currently allows dispensaries, cultivation, nonvolatile manufacturing and testing in specific zones within the city, subject to a set of regulations. City issued permits are required in order to obtain State licenses, beginning January 2018.

To start a cannabis business in Sacramento, the following permits are required: a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for the property, a Business Operating Permit for the business operation itself.  Building Permits are also required for all construction and tenant improvements on the cannabis operation site.

Bureau of Cannabis Control

The Bureau of Cannabis Control is the lead agency in developing regulations for medical and adult-use cannabis in California. The Bureau is responsible for licensing retailers, distributors, testing labs and microbusinesses.

California Department of Food and Agriculture – CalCannabis Cultivation Licensing

CalCannabis Cultivation Licensing, a division of the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), ensures public safety and environmental protection by licensing and regulating commercial cannabis cultivators in California. CalCannabis also manages the state’s track-and-trace system, which tracks all commercial cannabis and cannabis products—from cultivation to sale. CalCannabis is organized into three branches: Licensing, Compliance and Enforcement, and Administration.

California Department of Public Health – Let’s Talk Cannabis

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is committed to providing you with the facts you need to make safe and informed choices.  By sharing science-based information, CDPH is working to increase awareness about cannabis and how it affects our bodies, minds and health.

Find my State Legislator

Click here to look up your State Senator and State Assembly member.

SMUD Cannabis Operations

Click here To find out how SMUD can help make sure you’re equipped and ready for all your energy needs. SMUD’s energy incentive programs are here to help you operate at maximum efficiency while saving energy and money. SMUD can help you reduce your cultivation facility operating costs. Check out their latest rebates and incentives for cultivation facilities.

Sacramento Police Department

The Sacramento Police Department offers a variety of resources to assist the community in staying safe and informed. Click here to find out more.

Sacramento Fire Department

The mission of the Sacramento Fire Department is to protect our community through effective and innovative public safety services. Responding to your call for help in the event of an emergency is our number one priority. We are also here for you when it’s not an emergency. Click here to find out more.

History of Cannabis Policy in California

In 1996, voters approved Proposition 215, which legalized the use of medicinal cannabis in California. Since the proposition was passed most regulation was done by local governments.

In 2015, California enacted three bills —AB 243 (Wood, Chapter 688); AB 266 (Bonta, Chapter 689); and SB 643 (McGuire, Chapter 719)—that collectively established a comprehensive state regulatory

framework for the licensing and enforcement of cultivation, manufacturing, retail sale, transportation, storage, delivery and testing of medicinal cannabis in California. This regulatory scheme is known as the Medical Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MCRSA). Senate Bill 837 (Committee on Budget, Chapter 32, Statutes of 2016) built upon the MCRSA framework and added comprehensive environmental safeguards that require the State Water Resources Control Board, in consultation with the Department of Fish and Wildlife, to adopt principles and guidelines governing the use of water for cannabis cultivation with the goal of protecting streams and rivers from illegal diversion.

In November of 2016, voters approved Proposition 64, the Adult Use of Marijuana Act (AUMA). Under Proposition 64, adults 21 years of age or older can legally grow, possess, and use cannabis for

non-medicinal purposes, with certain restrictions. In addition, beginning on January 1, 2018, AUMA makes it legal to sell and distribute cannabis through a regulated business.

In June 2017, the California State Legislature passed a budget trailer bill, Senate Bill 94 (Chapter 27), that integrated MCRSA with AUMA to create the Medicinal and Adult‐Use Cannabis Regulation and

Safety Act (MAUCRSA) contained in division 10 of the Business and Professions Code (§26000 et seq.). Under MAUCRSA, a single regulatory system governs the medical and adult use cannabis industry in California.

Source: Bureau of Cannabis Control