California's fledgling regulatory body for the medical marijuana industry is beginning to grapple with the funding that will be necessary to start up the new entity.
The Bureau of Medical Marijuana is requesting $3.8 million and 25 staff positions for the 2016-17 fiscal year. The hires include a Data Processing Manager position "to serve as the primary IT liaison."
As Techwire has previously reported, various state agencies and departments, including the Board of Equalization, California Department of Food and Agriculture, Department of Justice, and Department of Consumer Affairs are discussing how an end-to-end, "track and trace" IT system could be deployed for California's burgeoning medical marijuana industry.
Gov. Jerry Brown last year signed into a law legislation that called for the first statewide licensing and operating rules for marijuana growers and retail outlets since the state legalized medical marijuana 20 years ago.
The level of detail could include how many times a single plant, which is assigned a unique serial number, was sprayed with pesticide, when it was packaged and sold, how much of the product from that plant has been sold to patients, and how much remains on dispensary store shelves, Techwire reported in February.
The need for IT solutions within the new bureau could be significant given its reach:
"The implementation of the Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act is a multidepartmental effort and the bureau's responsibility will be to regulate the transportation, storage, distribution and sale of medical marijuana within the state, and we'll also be responsible for the licensing, investigations, enforcement and coordination with local governments," Lori Ajax, the bureau's chief, said this week.
In an interview this week with the Orange County Register, Ajax predicted California's pot business could eventually be bigger than alcohol.
Reporting from Techwire contributor Samantha Young was used in this story.