By Monterey Bud
Signing Assembly Bill AB 2679 into law on September 29, 2016, Gov. Jerry Brown has finally provided some much-needed legal cover for California’s talented marijuana extract artists.
Looking to create uniform safety standards while systematically establishing institutional best practices in the Golden State, California’s newest piece of marijuana legislation will take full effect on January 1, 2018.
Finally addressing the dabbed out elephant in the room, AB 2679 is intended to provide specific legal parameters and protection for today’s artisanal concentrate makers and CO2 supercritical extraction specialists. Providing a legal shield to those who follow AB 2679 to the letter of the law, those hash makers who choose to operate outside the recently established legal framework will still face the unpleasant reality of incarceration and fines.
Originally drafted by the same group of bipartisan legislators who authored California’s Medical Cannabis Regulations and Safety Act – West Coast extract artists and dab aficionados have California’s following assembly members that thank: (D) Ken Cooley, (D) Rob Bonta, (D) Reggie Jones-Sawyer, (R) Tom Lackey, and (D) Jim Wood.
Though far from perfect, this new piece of legislation represents California’s first attempt at addressing health and safety concerns for this sector of the 420 industry, while simultaneously cultivating a pathway (albeit long and convoluted) for California’s fast-growing population of modern-day hash makers.
AB 2679 Compliance Requirements
- Utilize a solventless extraction technique.
- Extract using nonflammable, nontoxic solvents, acknowledged as safe under federal guidelines.
- Utilize a closed loop extraction system, which has been certified by a licensed engineer, specifically designed to eliminate off-gassing of explosive solvents.
- Gain certification and approval from local fire officials for extraction facility and its closed loop system.
- Meet all required safety, fire and building codes set by international standards, the federal government, and the state of California.
- Hold a valid California marijuana sellers permit from the Board of Equalization.
- And last but not least, California’s extract artists will have to obtain the proper licensing from their local municipality authorizing the industrial manufacturing of cannabis extracts while maintaining compliance with all local marijuana manufacturing laws.
As millions of California voters prepare to hit the polls November 8, looking forward to voting their conscience, AB 2679 represents a critical piece of protective legislation for California’s soon-to-be legal billion-dollar industry.
In the below YouTube video we get a quick animated rundown of how Butane Hash Oil – BHO – is extracted within a closed loop system.
