Cannabis Bill Seeks to Protect Consumers from Price Gauging and Harmful Ingredients

SACRAMENTO, California – Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D-Los Angeles) has introduced AB 1610, the “weed-out-the-weed” bill that protects cannabis consumers and the legal cannabis market by enhancing testing and labeling standards.

“As consumers, we all want to know that what we purchase is safe, legal, and tested. This is why I introduced AB 1610,” said Assemblymember Jones-Sawyer. “As the cannabis industry continues to grow in California my bill will help protect consumers and maintain high quality cannabis products.”

The cannabis industry has seen product recalls in California, Michigan, Colorado, and Oklahoma for unsafe levels of mold, yeast, E. coli, and salmonella.

In addition, California has seen a growing trend of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) inflation, where brand and labels overstate the level of THC in products to charge higher prices. A recent sample of 150 randomly chosen CA products found that 87% had inaccurately high THC potency labels. This has led to multiple class-action lawsuits in California.

AB 1610 builds on existing law by creating greater transparency and trust in the marketplace. The bill requires audits, shelf product testing, and blind proficiency lab testing. It also mandates that any product recall to be publicly reported to consumers online and in addition to requiring that all licensed labs be annually audited by the Department of Cannabis Control.

“When Californians voted to approve the cannabis use, we did so with a trust in the marketplace. Unfortunately, bad actors have violated that trust with improperly labeled products and artificially inflated prices,” said Assemblymember Jones-Sawyer. “This bill, with the ability to conduct testing and product review, improves accountability and gives regulators the tools to restore consumer trust.”