California regulators have issued an advisory that delineates a clear separation between cannabis and alcohol in the state. The memo from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) on the Cannabis Portal website was published on July 25. The advisory is a list of frequently asked questions received by the ABC, and the department’s responses.
Dual Licenses OK
The first question the memo addresses is whether a person can hold both a license to sell alcohol and a license to grow, sell, or process cannabis. The ABC advises that this permissible—neither the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act or the Medicinal and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MAUCRSA) preclude holding both types of licenses.
However, holding the two licenses is apparently all that is allowed under the rules. The ABC has ruled that combining business operations in several specific ways are all not allowed under the regulations.
No Pubs With Pot
Under the regulations, alcohol and cannabis license holders are not permitted to conduct both businesses at the same location, so enjoying a beer and a blunt at a bar is out.
“The MAUCRSA (Business and Professions Code section 26054) states that the holder of a license issued under the MAUCRSA ‘shall not sell alcoholic beverages or tobacco products on or at any premises licensed under this division,’” the notice states.
Bars and other businesses licensed to sell alcohol are not allowed to permit their customers to bring and use their own weed, either. Public consumption of any cannabis products, including edibles and vaporizers, is not allowed under California law. And since any premises with a license to sell alcohol is legally defined as a public place, consumption is not permitted. The restriction applies at all times, even after hours