Every new business operating in a legal market must obtain a marijuana license, much like a liquor license. License types range from producer/processors to retail and dispensaries and may vary depending on your state. Below are articles and news that touch on cannabis licensing.
Wed / Apr 3rd
Alabama lawmakers could increase the number of medical cannabis licenses in the state under a new bill seeking to end the legal disputes that have plagued the licensing process since the first licenses were awarded last June.
Wed / Mar 27th
Maryland conducted its inaugural cannabis lottery for adult-use licenses after a 73-day delay, awarding licenses to 174 applicants and marking a significant step for new businesses entering the market since the legalization of adult-use cannabis last summer.
Mon / Mar 25th
New York cannabis regulators voted last week to approve 114 new cannabis industry licenses and waive the licensing fees for all conditional cannabis cultivators for the next two years.
Fri / Mar 22nd
Michigan cannabis regulators say that a Lansing-based cannabis process that utilized unregulated THCa powder to create products that were sold in the legal market is permanently losing its license.
Thu / Mar 14th
The Oregon Legislature recently passed a bill to cap the number of cannabis licenses in response to market oversaturation, setting limits based on the state’s population and introducing measures for inter-agency cooperation and enforcement in the cannabis and industrial hemp sectors.
Tue / Mar 12th
Maryland officials announced they will hold a lottery for social equity cannabis licenses this week despite multiple lawsuits targeting the equity provision, including one that claims technical difficulties blocked entry.
Fri / Mar 8th
Holistic Industries Inc., a Maryland cannabis company, was fined $55,000 for not obtaining prior approval for ownership interest transfers in its subsidiaries, a requirement under Maryland regulations.
Mon / Mar 4th
A proposed Kansas bill aims to lower hemp business licensing fees from $1,200 to $500 to encourage more farmers to cultivate the crop.
Tue / Feb 27th
Canada is raising regulatory fees for cannabis operators to align with the nation’s 4.4% inflation rate, impacting various license application and annual fees to support the regulation of its legal cannabis market.
Tue / Feb 13th
A California lawyer, Jeffrey Jensen, is challenging Maryland’s cannabis social equity program, arguing that its state residency requirement is unconstitutional, potentially impacting licensing processes similar to previous cases in other states.
Fri / Feb 2nd
Governor Kathy Hochul labeled New York’s adult-use cannabis industry roll-out a “disaster,” critiquing the slow launch that benefited unregulated retailers, amidst a backdrop of legal challenges against its licensing process.
Wed / Jan 31st
Ohio has released draft rules for its newly approved adult-use cannabis industry, seeking public feedback on regulations including application costs, a lottery-based licensing system, and specific provisions for medical cannabis retailers and vertically integrated companies.
Fri / Jan 26th
The Cannabis Industry Alliance of Oregon is urging lawmakers to extend a moratorium on new cannabis company licenses, initially set to expire in April, to address the oversupply and market competition issues in Oregon’s cannabis industry.
Thu / Jan 18th
In a recent report prefacing the state’s upcoming adult-use cannabis market, Minnesota officials said they will need to license at least 381 cannabis dispensaries to satisfy the state’s legalization law.
Wed / Jan 17th
New Mexico lawmakers are proposing a comprehensive bill to refine cannabis laws by targeting the illicit market, enhancing regulatory powers, revising licensing rules, and implementing new rules on advertising and packaging, such as a ban on cartoon imagery and a requirement for brands to use opaque packaging.
Wed / Jan 3rd
New Mexico cannabis regulators this week revoked the licenses of two adult-use cannabis cultivators for allegedly exceeding the legal plant count limits and failing to properly utilize the state’s mandatory track-and-trace system.
Thu / Dec 28th
Earlier this month, Alabama announced the winners of the state’s integrated medical cannabis licenses, making national headlines via their decision to award Trulieve — a publicly-traded company founded in Florida — the sole license reserved for “minority-owned” businesses. Other applicants are now suing the state, citing irregularities with the application scoring process.
Wed / Dec 20th
New York officials recently announced the forced closure of Big Chief Smoke Shop, an unlicensed cannabis retailer in Brooklyn, coinciding with the opening of the borough’s first licensed dispensaries.
Thu / Dec 14th
The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission has awarded a license to Trulieve Alabama, Inc., marking it as the sole “minority-owned” business among the five companies selected to pioneer the state’s medical marijuana industry.
Fri / Dec 8th
The South African province of KwaZulu-Natal recently granted 664 licenses to cultivate, store, and transport industrial hemp plants containing up to 0.2% THC content.
Thu / Dec 7th
An applicant to be a medical cannabis producer in Alabama is suing the state after being left out of the most recent licensing round, claiming that regulators had unfairly revoked the license it had been approved for in previous licensing rounds.
Wed / Dec 6th
Minnesota’s Office of Cannabis Management has indicated that regulators anticipate launching the state’s adult-use cannabis industry in 2025.
Tue / Dec 5th
A New York judge has approved a settlement between the state Cannabis Control Board and four military veterans who had sued the state over its social equity licensing plan, ending the months-long injunction on the state’s cannabis licensing process.
Tue / Dec 5th
Alabama medical cannabis regulators have finally awarded 20 industry licenses. It is the third time this year the commission has awarded licenses — the previous two attempts were negated by claims of incorrect application scoring, and multiple lawsuits.
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