Licensing

The Los Angeles Department of Cannabis Regulation has selected 100 social equity applicants for an opportunity to apply for retail cannabis licenses.

Guam has now appointed 11 “responsible officials” to represent the island’s upcoming cannabis business entities but none have yet to formally submit their business application.

Connecticut regulators said three of the state’s four medical cannabis producers have finished converting to a hybrid adult-use license and that sales should launch by early next year.

Rhode Island is set to launch its adult-use cannabis industry next week after officials awarded hybrid retail licenses on Tuesday to five of the state’s six medical cannabis compassion centers.

New York officials have awarded the state’s first adult-use cannabis licenses, prioritizing individuals who were disproportionately affected by the damages of prohibition.

A recent Washington D.C. proposal would let the District’s unregulated cannabis shops seek retail licenses under the local medical cannabis program.

Texas officials said the state’s medical cannabis patient count has seen a 10% month-over-month increase over the last 18 months.

Officials in Missouri have circulated draft rules for its adult-use cannabis industry with the aim of launching before February of next year.

A New York judge halted the issuing of adult-use cannabis retail licenses in five regions after a Michigan-based cannabis company filed a lawsuit against the state’s licensing requirements.

The Nevada Cannabis Compliance Board has received 100 applications for adult-use consumption lounges.

Another Oklahoma attorney has been charged for their alleged involvement in a medical cannabis licensing scheme. Two other attorneys were charged for the scheme earlier this year.

San Diego, California has approved a social-equity program that includes fee waivers, start-up loans, and other business assistance.

Morocco has distributed its first permits for medical, pharmaceutical, and industrial cannabis production.

A judge in Georgia has halted the production of medical cannabis following legal protests against the process that awarded the two licenses.

Longtime cannabis advocate, author, entrepreneur, and investor Steve DeAngelo published an op-ed this week that decries the cannabis industry’s drive for “scale” and calls for the widespread return of small, artisan operators.

New York received more than 900 applications for its first round of retail adult-use cannabis dispensary licenses, of which there are 150 available. 

A South Carolina hemp cultivator is suing several state agencies for allegedly denying his due process when destroying unregistered crops they found during a check on his property.

The Georgia Commission for Access to Medical Cannabis recently awarded two cannabis industry licenses following delays due to claims that the selection process was unfair and arbitrary.

Florida officials are finally set to license the state’s first Black medical cannabis cultivator.

Vermont regulators issued the state’s first retail licenses for adult-use cannabis shops this week ahead of an October 1 deadline.

A Florida appeals court judge admonished state officials for not issuing additional medical cannabis licenses to service the more than 700,000 registered patients as required by the Florida Constitution.

Montana lawmakers and cannabis industry trade groups have aligned behind a plan to extend the state’s moratorium on new cannabis business licenses until 2025.

Rutgers University researchers found a 2% increase in home prices where municipalities have allowed licensed cannabis businesses to operate compared to areas that instituted bans on the industry.

Costa Rica will make its hemp licenses free for businesses and individuals interested in importing and/or exporting hemp derivatives as health, food, and industrial products.