California’s pot regulation agency has sent 900 warning letters to marijuana shops suspected of operating without state licenses.
Lori Ajax, the chief of the state Bureau of Cannabis Control, also sent a cease-and-desist notice to the marijuana-location service Weedmaps, telling it to stop advertising sellers that lack a permit, officials said Wednesday.
Ajax, the first person to hold her post, notified Weedmaps that a new state law that took effect Jan. 1 requires all marijuana sellers to have state licenses and all advertisements to contain the state license number.
“Your website contains advertisements from persons offering cannabis and cannabis products for sale that are not licensed to conduct commercial cannabis activity; therefore, you are aiding and abetting in violations of state cannabis laws,” Ajax wrote.
She said that violations of the state law could result in criminal, civil or administrative penalties.
A representative of Weedmaps did not respond to a request for comment.
