Effective date: 6/14/2023
Overview
The California Department of Cannabis Control (Department or DCC) is committed to promoting and protecting the privacy rights of individuals, as enumerated in Article 1, Section 1, of the California Constitution, the Information Practices Act (IPA) of 1977, and other state and federal privacy laws.
It is the policy of DCC to limit the collection of personal information and to safeguard the privacy of individuals whose personal information is collected or maintained by the Department. The DCC’s information management practices conform to the requirements of the Information Practices Act (Civ. Code, § 1798 et seq.), the Public Records Act ( PRA, Gov. Code, § 7920.000 et seq.), Government Code Sections 11015.5 and 11019.9, and other applicable laws pertaining to information privacy.
Individuals have the right to inquire about what types of information the DCC gathers and how that information is used. Individuals have a right to access information about themselves and may request in writing a correction of any inaccuracies. (Civ. Code, § 1798.35.) Individuals have the right to have any electronically collected personal information deleted by DCC, without reuse or distribution.
Personal information will not be disclosed, made available, or otherwise used for purposes other than those specified at the time of collection, except with the consent of the subject of the data, or as authorized by law or regulation. Electronically collected personal information, as defined by Government Code section 11015.5, subdivision (d), is exempt from requests made under the Public Records Act.
What we do with the information collected
The information automatically collected or stored by the Department is used to improve the content of our web services and to help us understand how people are using our services. This information does not personally identify any individual and is used for gathering web site statistics.
Information you provide for specific requests are used to help us improve our website and to process your online requests. DCC does not distribute or sell any electronically collected personal information about users to any third party without prior written permission from the user, except as provided by Government Code section 11015.5, subdivision (b). DCC must act in a manner consistent with the standards and limitations adopted pursuant to the PRA or IPA and may be required to comply with lawfully issued subpoenas and court orders for information.
Cookies
Whenever you visit a website, a small piece of information called a cookie can be sent to your computer. The main purpose of a cookie is to identify and customize webpages for you. DCC uses Google Analytics tracking cookies for statistical purposes to determine how useful our information is to you. You can choose not to have your data used by Google Analytics by downloading their opt-out browser add-on. Selecting to opt out will not interfere with your ability to use the web site.
On this website, a temporary cookie may be placed on your computer that automatically records the following information:
- Date and time of visit to the DCC website
- Name and version of your web browser used to access the DCC website
- Computer Internet Protocol address
- Web pages requested
- Referring website or social media platform
- Forms or documents that you downloaded
You can prevent cookies from being placed on your computer by accessing your browser’s preferences menu and deleting existing cookies. There also are commercial programs available to help you manage cookies. Before taking such steps, you should be aware that some websites may not work properly if you choose to block the placement of cookies on your computer. You will need to decide whether enabling cookies outweighs privacy concerns.
Information DCC collects for specific requests
Protecting your privacy
We need the information listed below to respond to your request:
| Information | Use |
|---|---|
| Subscribe to our email newsletter | We use the information you submit to us, including first name, last name, and email address, in order to send you email updates and newsletters from DCC. |
| Sign up for a class or conference | We will record your full name and email address in order to reserve a spot in one of our upcoming classes or conferences. Afterward, a certificate of completion will be sent to your email address for our classes. |
| Email (e.g., Webmaster, license or technical questions) | We use your name, email address, and (if provided) phone number to respond to your request. |
| e-Services | To use our interactive online services, you will need to provide personal information. Collection of this information is required to deliver the specific services but use of these services is voluntary. This information may include, but is not limited to: Your social security, business identification, or tax professional identification number. Information from a previously filed California tax return, as originally filed. Your contact information, such as your last name, address, telephone number, and email address. |
The DCC secures all personal information against loss, damage, modification, unauthorized access, or disclosure as required by federal and state laws, and State Administrative Manual policy. Information voluntarily provided by you will be protected by the appropriate computer, network, and Internet technical security controls at the employee and departmental level to prevent unauthorized access. Some of these security controls include: password and user identification verification, data encryption, confidential transmissions, secure storage areas, and audit trails.
Any information the DCC may acquire, including information collected on our website, may be released as provided by the Information Practices Act of 1977 (see Civil Code Section 1798).
For more information on how you can protect your privacy, visit the Privacy Enforcement and Protection page on the Office of the Attorney General website.
Links to other websites
Our website includes links to other websites. DCC provides these links as a convenience. Please read the privacy policy of any website that collects your personal information. These websites and their privacy policies are separate from this policy and not under our control.
Notification of changes
DCC may revise this privacy policy at any time. We will prominently post any revisions to this policy on our website 30 days before implementation.
If you have any questions or concerns about this policy
Contact the DCC main support desk at info@cannabis.ca.gov.
