California was one of the first states to embrace medical marijuana, and they have led to many other states following suit. However, since its legalization in the state, regulations have changed numerous times, making the industry hard for merchants to comprehend, and leaving customers scrambling to figure it out. Below you will learn a few things about the current state of affairs in the California legalized marijuana field, thanks to California Assemblyman Rob Bonta, from his speech at the Marijuana Business Conference and Expo.
Assemblyman Bonta has long been a proponent to the legalization and regulation of marijuana in the state, and he spoke at the Expo to clear up controversy, and to help merchants and those who offer medical marijuana payment processing better understand the current state of affairs. Mr. Bonta spoke about the fee structure, which is complicated and has confused many. With the new state method, smaller merchants will pay a smaller fee than larger businesses. This is only fair, and it is something that many have been wishing. These fees are supposed to help regulation, and the regulation is supposed to show the legitimacy of the industry.
Legitimacy can be an issue when state regulations are faulty, as is in Mr. Bonta’s example of a criminal – formerly imprisoned in another state – being granted a medical marijuana merchant license in California. There are loopholes that need to be closed, but it is hard when there are no federal regulations, or even state-to-state regulations concerning the industry. It may takes years or even decades for these issues to be dealt with quickly, but at least California knows that they exist, and they are trying to fix them. This leaves consumers and other merchants vulnerable, but new regulations can help fix any issues concerning quality control and sales.
The medical marijuana sales industry is booming, but there are issues that can keep merchants from jumping into the industry. While regulations are needed, there is a fine line between the right amount and too many. In California, more regulations are still needed to keep merchants and consumers safe.
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