Licensing

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.

The Executive Director of New York’s Office of Cannabis Management said that applications for cannabis cultivation, processing, and other industry activities will be delayed until the middle of 2023.

Illinois has awarded 185 conditional adult-use cannabis retail licenses, closing out its first round of the social equity license lottery.

Two lawsuits challenging Detroit’s adult-use cannabis licensing ordinance were dismissed by a Michigan judge in Wayne County who said the city has provided a fair licensing process.

New York has opened the application process for conditional social equity retail licenses and nonprofit organizations that assist justice-involved individuals. 

New Mexico has awarded more than 1,000 cannabis industry licenses but about 70% of the licenses so far were issued to companies controlled by men.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) launched Cannabis NYC this week, which will provide services and licensing assistance to the city’s cannabis social equity applicants.

Maine’s First Circuit Court of Appeals has struck down the requirement that a dispensary must be owned by state residents.

The first 15 conditional processor license applications were approved in New York this week, allowing the selected companies to begin designing, manufacturing, and packaging cannabis products.

Washington state officials are considering a points-based social equity licensing model that is preferential to individuals who were previously convicted of cannabis-related crimes.

Members of the Crow Tribe are looking to open the first cannabis dispensary on tribal land in Montana but approval has been delayed by the tribe and Big Horn County. 

The two-year moratorium on new Oklahoma medical cannabis licenses is set to begin on August 26; the moratorium does not affect license transfers, license renewals, or patient licenses.

New York officials shut down a private cannabis consumption club in Cheektowaga for operating without a license but the company says no license exists for its business model.

Proof of U.S. residency is no longer a requirement for owning a cannabis business in Denver, Colorado.