In California, the agency in charge of legal cannabis, Bureau of Cannabis Control, just launched a state wide education campaign called “Get #weedwise”.
The campaign aims to encourage consumers to buy only from legal businesses and alert illegal businesses to follow the path of regulation.
“Get #weedwise” is a harm reduction campaign that includes messages to the general public about the possible damages they may face when buying products with cero control.
The Bureau of Cannabis Control is the state entity in charge of all the regulatory law. They issue the licenses, supervise the retail stores as well as the laws and have the task of making the informal business legal.
“The campaign educates unlicensed businesses about the need for a license and the consequences they may face when operating without licenses,” says an official statement from the entity.
Currently, all commercial cannabis businesses in California must have some type of license. Among them: production, distribution, planting, dispensary, cooking, extraction and laboratories.
“We believe that this campaign will directly impact consumer safety by clarifying that only cannabis purchased from licensed retailers has met the state’s safety standards, while sending a clear message to unlicensed businesses that they need to get licensed or shut down.”, said Lori Ajax, Chief of the Bureau of Cannabis Control
The Get #weedwise campaign is using multilingual messages in spanish and english on large highways billboards and a digitally campaign state-wide.
Among the messages they want to communicate are alerts about chemicals, fungi and fecal matter that have been found in unregulated cannabis tests.
For unlicensed businesses, they are alerted of how authorities can face the confiscation of their money or products and face charges for it.
Recently, 7 people were admitted to the hospital because of respiratory problems contracted through the consumption of illegal cannabis oil cartridges.
Read:
Contaminated cannabis vape pens cause respiratory diseases, doctor says
in Costa Rica. 
