IDOA issues cannabis transporters compliance alert
The Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) and Division of Cannabis Regulation today issued a compliance alert for cannabis transporters in Illinois. According to the compliance alert, “The purpose of this notice is to inform all cannabis business entities under the authority of Illinois Department of Agriculture of transportation regulations and policies applicable to transporters operating in inclement weather, or when a delivery is interrupted by an accident, medical emergency, or vehicle failure.”
The Cannabis Transporter Licensee Delivery Interruption Procedure stated, “All product listed on a transporter manifest must be delivered to the licensed cannabis business identified on the manifest on the same day the product was manifested for delivery. Product cannot be held overnight by licensed cannabis transporters.
Any deviation from the manifest schedule caused by unforeseen circumstances must be immediately reported to your IDOA inspector, Bureau of Cannabis Inspection, Bureau Chief, Bresha Brewer (Bresha.B.Brewer@Illinois.gov), in addition to your assigned ISP inspector and the Illinois Cannabis Control Office (isp.cannabiscontrol@illinois.gov).”
Other regulatory and policy reminders included:
- Transportation of Cannabis Containers – Daily Inventory
- Once the transporter receives a cannabis container, it must create a daily inventory.
- A transporter agent shall not open a cannabis container. Once a cannabis container is packed and sealed for delivery, only the following may open a cannabis container:
- The cannabis business establishment that initiated a request to ship;
- The cannabis business establishment intended for delivery;
- Local, State or federal law enforcement; or
- An employee of DFPR or the Department.
- A copy of the transporter’s registration and a manifest for the delivery shall be present in any vehicle transporting cannabis.
- Cannabis must be transported in a cannabis container. The cannabis container must be transported in an enclosed, locked storage compartment that is secured or affixed to the vehicle.
- All vehicles transporting cannabis must be equipped with a Global Positioning System (GPS) based tracking device. The GPS tracking device shall be capable of allowing the transporter to track the vehicles at all times. The GPS tracking system shall also be able to store historic data (for no less than 12 months) and shall permit the Department to search all real-time and archived data upon request.
- Transporters are subject to random inspections by the Department, DPH, and ISP.
The compliance alert objectives were stated as, “Driver safety as well as the security of cannabis product should be primary priorities when operating transport vehicles carrying manifested cannabis products.” The alert notes “that while weather in your section of the State may be fine, Illinois is a large state, and the transport teams may encounter inclement weather when traveling to other sectors of the state. Please monitor the following websites and Facebook pages for weather updates. In the event that a manifested delivery cannot be completed due to weather or similar unforeseen circumstances, you must immediately notify your IDOA inspector, Bureau of Cannabis Inspection, Bureau Chief, Bresha Brewer (Bresha.B.Brewer@Illinois.gov), in addition to your assigned ISP inspector and the Illinois Cannabis Control Office (isp.cannabiscontrol@illinois.gov).
For questions related to this Compliance Alert, please contact the Illinois Department of Agriculture, Division of Cannabis, Bureau of Inspections by emailing AGR.CannabisInspections@Illinois.gov.
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