Many states and municipalities have instituted requirements specific to the cannabis industry, and more are likely on the way. Here are 5 tips to make sure you are ready.
In a piece in a recent issue of Cannabis Business Times magazine, we outlined a few tips for how cannabis businesses can prepare themselves for emerging energy regulations in U.S. states. In our experience working on energy compliance in the handful of states – and observing the rapid emergence of newly regulated states – it is clear that there is a lot that operators can do to avoid getting stuck in a compliance conundrum as they proceed along the licensing spectrum.
1: Understand Your State’s Policymaking Context. States adopt regulations that comport with existing statewide goals, and it is helpful to have this context in mind as your state embarks on new rulemaking for the cannabis industry.
2: Engage Your Regulators. As we have seen in Massachusetts and Illinois, many cannabis businesses in states that first promulgated energy and environmental regulations were caught unprepared because they had not engaged in the process closely enough.
3: Prepare Yourself. Energy regulations often contain jargon and an alphabet soup of acronyms that may not be part of cannabis cultivators’ everyday vocabulary: ASHRAE, IECC, LPD, QPL, MWh, RPS, Btu and PPE are just a few examples. Take time to understand these terms and how related regulations will affect your operation.
4: Stay Nimble. Keep an eye out for changes to regulations that may force you to adjust your assumptions.
5: Seize the Opportunity. Many existing energy regulations are designed to encourage cultivators to be thoughtful about their energy use and resource efficiency, and not necessarily force mandates upon them.
Read the whole article in Cannabis Business Times magazine.