Licensing

Legal battles are delaying Alabama’s medical cannabis rollout, leaving thousands of patients in limbo as both regulators and licensees push for court approval to start operations.

City officials in Sacramento this week voted to put on hold a proposal to increase the number of cannabis dispensary licenses in the city by 50%.

South Dakota lawmakers this week voted to raise the price of a medical cannabis business license by nearly 70%. Officials say the change will cover the program’s administrative costs.

The number of total approved or pending cannabis industry licenses in the U.S. increased during Q2 2024 for the first time in two years.

Minnesota cannabis officials have received 1,817 applications for cannabis industry licenses. The first licenses will go to social equity applicants, and regulators have verified social equity status for 2,307 individuals, mostly veterans and people with cannabis-related convictions.

Delaware officials will begin accepting adult-use cannabis license applications next week for the licensing lottery set to take place in October.

Alabama regulators last week approved two new cannabis cultivation licenses as the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission considers options for unblocking the lawsuit-laden industry.

Ohio regulators said they will issue dual-use licenses to many medical cannabis dispensaries on Tuesday this week, setting up the state’s first legal adult-use cannabis sales since voters approved the legalization reforms last year.

Ohio officials have awarded the state’s first adult-use cannabis industry licenses to four cultivators and six processing facilities, and released industry guidelines for dispensaries.

Tilray Brands, Inc. said its Germany-based cannabis cultivation facility, Aphria RX GmbH, has received a cultivation license under Germany’s new adult-use cannabis legalization law.

Kentucky officials will begin accepting applications for the state’s medical cannabis growers, manufacturers, and retailers starting on Monday, July 1.

Officials with the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management said they had received more than 700 applications for social equity licenses within the first 24 hours of the application window opening.

Ohio officials have started awarding provisional dual-use licenses to medical cannabis operators, and the state’s full adult-use industry — approved by voters last November — is expected by September 7.

New York’s Office of Cannabis Management this week awarded 105 new cannabis licenses, gave final approval to the state’s cannabis home grow rules, and introduced the agency’s new interim director Felicia A. B. Reid.

Ohio medical cannabis dispensaries can now apply for special permits allowing early adult-use cannabis sales ahead of the recreational program’s anticipated launch later this month.

With the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission still embroiled in lawsuits, the launch of the state’s medical cannabis program is still months away, if not a year or more.

The owner of seven unlicensed New York cannabis shops has been fined $15.2 million, including $7 million in disgorgement fines and $8.2 million in penalties for operating without a license, ignoring multiple notices by officials, and selling cannabis to underage customers.

As Minnesota’s adult-use cannabis regulations come together, lawmakers are considering giving some cannabis cultivators an early start to avoid potential delays to the state’s cannabis program.

Minnesota House lawmakers last week passed social equity cannabis licensing provisions and other adjustments to the state’s upcoming adult-use cannabis program.

Kentucky will hold a lottery for the state’s initial medical cannabis business licenses in October, keeping the state on track for the medical cannabis program’s anticipated launch on January 1, 2025.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey awarded grants totaling $2,350,000 to 50 cannabis social equity businesses in the state through the state’s Cannabis Social Equity Trust Fund.

New York cannabis regulators have issued more than 400 adult-use licenses this year in an effort to counteract the state’s rampant unlicensed sales amid the slow roll-out of its cannabis program.

Ohio is one step closer to launching its adult-use cannabis marketplace after state regulators last week released their latest draft rules for the industry, which cover retail-focused provisions including online sales and curbside pick-up and industry-wide mandatory waste disposal practices.