Cannabis Festival “Test Case” for California
“Outside Lands” Largest Legal Cannabis Festival in State So Far – LPC
California is taking a bottom-up approach to cannabis festival permitting. Even though cannabis was legalized in the state in 2016, there are regulations. It cannot be consumed in public, and it can’t be sold outside of licensed dispensaries. However, special events can apply for permits – and one such festival called Outside Lands in San Francisco became a test case.
(For the purposes of this article, “cannabis festival” is any festival-like event where cannabis is allowed for sale and/or consumption.)
“Let’s be clear — this is not the first time in history that cannabis will be consumed at a music festival,” said David Chiu, a representative in the California State Assembly.
In fact, the state specifically targeted events known where illegal consumption of cannabis was well known. The theory is that by giving a cannabis festival a permit, it would help regulate what is already happening.
Marisa Rodriguez is a former prosecutor and now head of San Francisco’s cannabis office. She took regulations through eight rounds of revisions before approving the permit. Her office consulted with the community throughout.
“We are really trying to be mindful and thoughtful and serious about how we are controlling this process,” she said.
What Can We Learn from the California Experience? – LPC
Soon after cannabis legalization in Canada, there were concerns coming from legal cannabis retail owners and workers. Part of it was due to the newness of the industry – and the resulting supply chain issues. Regulations are so restrictive that a cannabis festival in Canada would technically be illegal. That was the case earlier this year during the first “legal” Vancouver 4/20 event, which went ahead without city permits.
No one would be surprised to hear that cannabis in Canada would be more regulated than in the US. Our approach to cannabis edibles legalization with expected plain packaging is a good example. On the other hand, our philsophy on cannabis edibles safety illustrates why regulations are important.
Perhaps the best approach is to compare each cannabis festival – Vancouver 4/20 and Outside Lands – and decide which worked better in the public interest and safety.
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