Mrs. Katchko is known as a powerhouse within the cannabis industry and has represented medical cannabis clients in the City of Los Angeles since 2009. Backed by eleven years of dedicated cannabis experience, Mrs. Katchko is able to represent all cannabis-related businesses includes medical marijuana dispensaries, cultivators, manufacturers, distributors, and investors. Read below as she answers questions on current cannabis affairs.

Q & A

• Can I move my cannabis license, and if so, where?
  • Yes, a licensee can relocate any of its City of Los Angeles licenses, provided the new location complies with all applicable sensitive use and zoning requirements. Additionally, storefront retail and cultivation licenses can only relocate within the same community plan. Manufacturing, distribution and non-storefront retail licenses can relocate to any compliant location within the City of Los Angeles. If your business is located outside of Los Angeles, you need to check the applicable local regulations for any restrictions on relocation. If you have any questions with respect to relocation please contact us. (link to contact info@kvk email)

• What important deadlines or notices should licensees be paying attention to?
  • Make sure that you are regularly checking your emails as the local and State agencies communicate with licensees regarding application status, application deficiencies, and inspections almost exclusively via email; 
  • Make sure that you promptly reply to any email communication from local or State regulatory agencies as they are willing to work with licensees and routinely grant extensions as long as the licensee is responsive; 
  • State regulatory agencies almost always upload documents relating to your application or license to the online application portal, so make sure you are reviewing notifications that may be automatically generated and sent to you via email;
  • Almost all local jurisdictions require annual renewal of a cannabis license. Make sure that you are aware of your local renewal deadline and that you timely submit your renewal application and renewal payment.   
    
• What should I do if I receive an email from a local or State agency informing me of an inspection? 
  • Make sure that the person most knowledgeable regarding the subject of the inspection is present at your licensed premises during the inspection; 
  • Make sure your security staff is aware of the inspection so that they can grant the inspectors access to the premises, provided the security staff still follows all of the protocols for granting a non-employee access to the licensed premises;
  • Make sure that the diagram submitted to the agency conducting the inspection is up to date;
  • Make sure that you have a copy of your Standard Operating Procedures at your licensed premises; 
  • Make sure that your licenses are conspicuously displayed at your licensed premises; 
  • Review any checklist or report  you may have received from a previous inspection to make sure any prior issues have been resolved.  
    
• Can you help me with my cannabis license application outside of Los Angeles?
  • Yes, we have assisted clients in multiple jurisdictions in the State of California. It is important to understand the nuances of the local application process of the jurisdiction where you are applying as these widely differ jurisdiction to jurisdiction. It is also important to understand the expected cost of the application process and processing time so that you can manage potential investor expectations and your budget. 
  • If you are applying in a jurisdiction that is outside our area of expertise, we can connect you with a trusted colleague with experience in that particular jurisdiction.
    
• What are the biggest changes for you in 2020? 
  • Working from home just after our firm moved to a new and larger space!
  • Adopting practices to assure that our clients receive the same level of personal and professional attention despite our firm’s adjustment to working remotely due to COVID.  
  • Coordinating the packaging and submission of sensitive regulatory documents to agencies which formerly worked “on paper”, and which have now adopted work-from-home models and have converted to electronic formats.  
  • Maintaining a networking and public presence through virtual means, rather than in-person conferences or gatherings.
  • Missing the major annual events that the entire cannabis industry looks forward to and the associated opportunities to socialize with industry thought leaders.

This information is provided as a public educational service and is not intended as legal advice. For specific questions related to cannabis business licensing and regulatory compliance, please contact an attorney at Katchko, Vitiello & Karikomi, PC.