The California Senate introduced a bill to stop companies from advertising a cannabis product as organic or from a county in California. The bill, SB 185, will require state regulators to include the Department of Health in the development of an organic certification program, and it will prohibit businesses from misrepresenting that a cannabis product is from a specific county in California. The bill appears to target out-of-state businesses that profit from using Humboldt County’s name.
Humboldt County is long recognized as the birthplace of the cannabis industry in the United States. The staff of Humboldt county is asking the Board of Supervisors to amend its 2019 state legislative platform to show support for SB 185, and its efforts to ensure truthful cannabis marketing and certification. The county believes local businesses should profit from the county’s name, and the county’s efforts to develop an organic certification program. The staff’s recommended changes will be discussed at the Board of Supervisors meeting being held tomorrow, January 19, 2019 at 9:00 am.