26063. (a) (1) No later than January 1, 2018, the department shall establish standards by which a licensed cultivator may designate a county, city, or city and county of origin for cannabis. To be eligible for the designation, 100 percent of the cannabis shall be produced within the designated county, city, or city and county, as defined by finite political boundaries.
(2) Cannabis shall not be advertised, marketed, labeled, or sold as produced in a California county, city, or city and county, including any similar name that is likely to mislead consumers as to the kind of cannabis, when the cannabis was not produced in that county, city, or city and county.
(3) The name of a California county, city, or city and county, including any similar name that is likely to mislead consumers as to the kind of cannabis contained in the product, shall not be used in the advertising, labeling, marketing, or packaging of cannabis products unless 100 percent of the cannabis contained in the product was produced in that county, city, or city and county.
(b) (1) No later than January 1, 2022, the Department of Food and Agriculture shall establish a process by which licensed cultivators may establish appellations of origin, including standards, practices, and cultivars applicable to cannabis produced in a certain geographical area in California, not otherwise specified in subdivision (a).
(2) Cannabis shall not be advertised, marketed, labeled, or sold using an appellation of origin established pursuant to paragraph (1), including any similar name that is likely to mislead consumers as to the kind of cannabis, unless the cannabis meets the appellation of origin requirements for, and was produced in, the geographical area.
(3) An appellation of origin established pursuant to this subdivision, including any similar name that is likely to mislead consumers as to the kind of cannabis contained in a product, shall not be used in the advertising, labeling, marketing, or packaging of a cannabis product unless 100 percent of the cannabis contained in the product meets the appellation of origin requirements and was produced in the geographical area.
(4) The Department of Food and Agriculture may collect fees to cover the reasonable regulatory costs of performing duties pursuant to this section. Any fees collected by the Department of Food and Agriculture pursuant to this section shall be deposited in the Department of Food and Agriculture Fund.
(c) An appellation of origin shall not be approved unless it requires the practice of planting in the ground in the canopy area and excludes the practices of using structures, including a greenhouse, hoop house, glasshouse, conservatory, hothouse, and any similar structure, and any artificial light in the canopy area.
(Amended (as amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 70, Sec. 50) by Stats. 2021, Ch. 87, Sec. 5. (SB 160) Effective July 16, 2021. Note: This section was added on Nov. 8, 2016, by initiative Prop. 64.)