Emergency help Safety alerts California Search Support CHSA
Menu

Report · California

How to report a cannabis problem in California

Find the California agency that can act on the problem. CHSA does not take reports and cannot act on them.

Applies to
California
Links checked
2026-10-04

Draft — pending regulatory review. A regulatory reviewer has not yet signed off on this page. Agency links can change. The agency’s own website is always the final word.

Before you report

Agencies can do more when you give them details. If you can, have these ready:

  • The product name and type, and the batch or UID number from the label
  • Where and when you got it: store name, address, or the delivery service
  • The store’s DCC license number, if you have it
  • Photos of the package, label and receipt

Keep the product and its package. Don’t use it again.

Where to report

A cannabis product made someone sick

Handled by California Poison Control System (CPCS) for advice, then California Department of Cannabis Control (DCC)

Call Poison Help first for medical advice. Then you can tell DCC about the product through its complaint form. Describe what happened and add details such as the business name and address, the dates, and photos or receipts.2 DCC takes complaints about any cannabis business, licensed or unlicensed.10

DCC asks for your contact details, but you can ask to stay anonymous. DCC does not tell you the outcome of a complaint.2

A product may have been recalled

Handled by California Department of Cannabis Control (DCC)

DCC posts both mandatory recalls (ordered by DCC) and voluntary recalls (started by the business).3 Each recall lists the product, the reason, the business and its license number, and the batch or UID.4 Match those to your package.

Recalls from before 2024 are in DCC’s archive. Questions about a recall go to DCC at recalls@cannabis.ca.gov.3

A store or delivery service may be unlicensed

Handled by California Department of Cannabis Control (DCC)

Check first. A licensed store open to the public must post its DCC QR code certificate in the front window, within 3 feet of the entrance. Scan it to see the license. Delivery drivers must carry a copy of the license and QR code certificate and show it if you ask.5

You can also look up a business in DCC’s license search.6 If it isn’t licensed, report it to DCC.2

CHSA does not test, certify or endorse products or retailers. License status can change at any time.

A licensed business may have broken the rules

Handled by California Department of Cannabis Control (DCC)

For example: selling adult-use cannabis to someone under 21, or selling products without the required labels or child-resistant packaging. DCC uses one complaint form for licensed and unlicensed businesses.10 Include the business name, address and license number if you have them.2

A hemp, CBD or delta-8 product

Handled by California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Food and Drug Branch; U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) MedWatch for reactions

Since January 1, 2026, California law bans selling some hemp products, including inhalable products with hemp-derived THC, hemp flower and pre-rolls, products with synthetic cannabinoids, and drinks that mix alcohol and cannabinoids.8 DCC explains the rules.7

To report a hemp product or business that doesn’t follow these rules, use CDPH’s consumer complaint form.11 CDPH’s Food and Drug Branch takes complaints about processed foods, drugs and cosmetics, including illness or injury.12

If a hemp product made someone sick, call Poison Help first. You can also report a bad reaction to the FDA through MedWatch, which covers cannabinoid hemp products such as those with CBD.13

A local problem in your neighborhood

Handled by Your city or county

Some cities run their own cannabis offices. In the City of Los Angeles, the City of Los Angeles Department of Cannabis Regulation (DCR) takes complaints about unlicensed cannabis businesses and licensed businesses that may break city rules. Its form is not for emergencies or for places outside the city.14

Elsewhere, for something that is not an emergency, call your city or county’s non-emergency police line. Use 911 only for emergencies.

Something is wrong on the CHSA website

Handled by CHSA

This is the only kind of report CHSA handles: mistakes in our own content.

About this page

No data collected

This page has no form and stores nothing you type. The links take you to each agency’s own website, which has its own privacy rules.

Checked against the agency websites listed on .

Sources

  1. California Poison Control System California Poison Control System / UCSF · Retrieved
  2. File a complaint California Department of Cannabis Control · Retrieved
  3. Cannabis recalls and safety notices California Department of Cannabis Control · Retrieved
  4. Cannabis Recall Portal California Department of Cannabis Control · Retrieved
  5. DCC regulations (revised July 1, 2026) California Department of Cannabis Control , Cal. Code Regs. tit. 4, §§ 15039(b)–(d) (QR code certificate), 15415(f) (delivery drivers) · Retrieved
  6. Search for a licensed business California Department of Cannabis Control · Retrieved
  7. Hemp California Department of Cannabis Control · Retrieved
  8. AB 8 (2025), Cannabis: cannabinoids: industrial hemp — bill text California Legislative Information , B&P § 26070.2 as amended (Ch. 248, Stats. 2025) · Retrieved
  9. Complaints outside DCC’s jurisdiction California Department of Cannabis Control · Retrieved
  10. What’s legal California Department of Cannabis Control , “Reporting suspicious activity” · Retrieved
  11. Assembly Bill 8 frequently asked questions California Department of Public Health, Food and Drug Branch · Published · Retrieved
  12. Consumer complaint California Department of Public Health, Food and Drug Branch · Retrieved
  13. MedWatch: The FDA Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program U.S. Food and Drug Administration · Retrieved
  14. Complaint Portal City of Los Angeles Department of Cannabis Regulation · Retrieved