Determining Legit Pot Sellers With A Code
Sonora, CA – Pot buyers in California can now use their smartphones to find out if a marijuana dispensary is legit.
The Bureau of Cannabis Control announced a program encouraging licensed cannabis retailers to post QR codes in their store windows. A sample of the code is below:
Potential customers can scan the checkerboard code with the camera on their cellphone linking it to the online license bureau. The goal is to help users determine whether their store is carrying products that are “tracked, tests, and legal.” California has been struggling to deal with illegal pot operations, where consumers can avoid taxes that can approach 50% in some communities.
The United Cannabis Business Association, which represents licensed retailers is applauding the QR code program. Executive Director Ruben Honig called it a tool for consumer education, stating, “When voters approved Proposition 64, there was an immediate assumption that overnight, everywhere that sold cannabis was legal and safe. Unfortunately, this couldn’t be further from the truth. California’s illicit market is nearly three times the size of its legal one and many consumers cannot tell the difference, leading them to unknowingly purchase untested and unregulated products that may put their health at risk.“
Proposition 64, passed in 2016 and since then state regulators have struggled to meet the demand for licensing, and many communities have either banned commercial sales or not set up rules for the legal market to operate.
