Cannabis: testing laboratories.

Existing law, the Medicinal and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MAUCRSA) , which includes the Control, Regulate and Tax Adult Use of Marijuana Act (AUMA) , an initiative statute enacted by the voters at the November 8, 2016, statewide general election, provides for the licensure and regulation of commercial cannabis activity, including testing laboratories. Existing law prohibits the sale of cannabis or cannabis products unless a representative sample of the cannabis or cannabis product has been tested by a testing laboratory. Existing law requires a licensed distributor to store cannabis or cannabis product prior to and during testing by a licensed testing laboratory and, if the batch passes testing, to conduct a quality assurance review before distribution to ensure the labeling and packaging of the cannabis and cannabis products conform to the requirements of the act. This bill would amend AUMA by authorizing a manufacturer to arrange for a licensed testing laboratory to obtain a representative sample of each cannabis batch at the manufacturer's licensed premises and, after receiving the certificate of analysis by the testing laboratory that the cannabis batch has passed the testing requirements, to perform the quality assurance review. The bill would require a licensed manufacturer who has the testing conducted and who conducts the quality assurance review to certify to a distributor that those actions have been taken and would authorize a distributor to rely on that certification and not perform the testing and quality assurance review. The bill would also require the bureau to adopt regulations to establish a process to test samples of random batches of cannabis or cannabis products that had testing and quality assurance performed at the licensed premises of the manufacturer to determine whether the product conforms with the certificate analysis provided to the distributor. AUMA authorizes the Legislature to amend the act to further the purposes and intent of the act with a 23 vote of the membership of each house of the Legislature. This bill would declare that its provisions further specified purposes and intent of AUMA.