California Regulators Remove Public Cannabis Business Info

Two of three California agencies have removed online databases containing cannabis business information from public view after dispensaries were ransacked during the protests over the murder of George Floyd, MJBizDaily reports. The public databases were removed by the Bureau of Cannabis Control and the state Department of Food and Agriculture.

On May 31, the California Cannabis Industry Association sent a letter to BCC Chief Lori Ajax asking her to “immediately” remove physical addresses of cannabis licensees amid the protests.

“While we are unified as an industry, a state, and a nation in overcoming social injustices through peaceful civil unrest, CCIA has learned that dozens of cannabis businesses across the state have been subjected to vandalism, looting and even violence over the past few days. Some of the attacks appear to be well coordinated break-ins taking advantage of the civil protests and unrest that are occurring in many cities across the country.” – CCIA Executive Director Lindsay Robinson in the letter

The state Department of Public Health database is still operational but contains limited information and does not currently display licensee addresses. Typically, cannabusiness information is searchable for the public and includes names, addresses, and other information for state-approved cannabis retailers, delivery services, microbusinesses, distributors, and testing labs.

Protesters throughout the U.S. and around the world have been demonstrating in response to the May 25 police killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man in Minneapolis, Minnesota who was being detained by several officers. Bystanders’ video recordings of Floyd’s death show him telling police “I can’t breathe” while a white police officer kneels on his neck and head for nearly nine minutes. The officer seen in the video kneeling on Floyd’s neck and three other officers present at the scene have all been fired and charged with crimes related to the murder.