LOS ANGELES – Reinforcing California’s commitment to protecting children from illegal cannabis and protecting the legal cannabis marketplace, Governor Gavin Newsom today announced that an operation led by his Unified Cannabis Enforcement Taskforce (UCETF) seized more than 2.2 million illegal cannabis packages marked with the universal symbol of legal California cannabis.
The sting operation occurred in the Los Angeles Toy District, and much of the illegal packaging was designed to mimic popular food and candy items that could appeal to children. The taskforce also recently announced that it had seized more than $120 million in illegal cannabis since January.
Led by the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA) and assisted by the Department of Cannabis Control (DCC), the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, and the Employment Development Department, the operation focused on 11 storefronts in the Toy District of Los Angeles, where numerous businesses were manufacturing and selling bulk packaging used in the illicit cannabis market to deceive customers and thwart state safety and quality regulations.
In this operation, the Unified Cannabis Enforcement Taskforce seized 2,279,900 contraband packages. The taskforce separately seized 31 banker-sized boxes and garbage bags filled with illicit cannabis, as well as 32 boxes and bags of illicit cigarettes and tobacco products.
“This packaging provides a thin yet frightening veil of legitimacy for illicit operators,” said CDTFA Director Nick Maduros. “It violates the trust of California consumers who believe that the cannabis symbol signifies a certain product standard, and it enables illegal operators to circumvent tax and licensing requirements.”
Packaging requirements
Cannabis goods must be labeled to ensure consumers are informed about what they are buying and to prevent unintended use, including through packaging that is child-resistant, tamper-evident, resealable, opaque if an edible cannabis product, and includes the universal symbol for cannabis.
“The operation in the Toy District represents an important new direction by the Unified Cannabis Enforcement Taskforce to disrupt unlicensed cannabis sales. Illegal packaging is dangerous to consumers, especially when it is ripping-off well-known brands that are attractive to children, and needs to be removed from the marketplace,” said DCC Director Nicole Elliott.
The universal cannabis symbol on cannabis packaging creates a sense of trust in consumers that the product has been tested and complies with licensing and regulatory standards for sale and safe consumption in California. In order to legally sell or store packaging marked with the symbol, businesses have to be licensed with DCC or have invoices from a cannabis business licensed by the Department.
No comments:
Post a Comment