Legislative & Licensing Update: October 5, 2022

Cannabis license activity from New York to Alabama and Illinois

Plus strong polling in Missouri for adult use and cannabis business news from Nevada, California, Amsterdam, and Switzerland.

 

States with Active License Applications

New York regulators announced that they received 903 applications for cannabis dispensary licenses in the initial round that is reserved for people who have been harmed by cannabis criminalization. 

 

Vermont recreational cannabis sales began on Saturday, making them the 15th state with legal recreational cannabis sales.

 

Connecticut’s Social Equity Council voted to allow five cannabis businesses to submit their applications amid lawsuits.

 

Washington, D.C. regulators approved one additional medical cannabis dispensary and two new cultivation facilities.

 

Illinois regulators issued the state’s first operational permits to cannabis social equity craft cultivation and infuser businesses.

 

The Birmingham, Alabama City Council voted to allow medical cannabis dispensaries

 

November 2022 Ballot Watch

A new poll of Missouri very likely voters found that the cannabis legalization ballot initiative is leading, but with under 50 percent support and nearly one out of five people still undecided.

 

Places to Watch

Georgia’s medical cannabis production program is stalled again after a court action suspended the state-issued grow licenses to two companies. It means that while medical cannabis is legal in Georgia – it’s still illegal to buy it because nobody is producing it in-state.

 

General Cannabis Business News

The Nevada Cannabis Compliance Board and Department of Taxation reported that retailers sold more than $965 million worth of legal marijuana in Fiscal Year 2022, generating more than $152 million in tax revenue—with most of the proceeds funding schools.

 

California regulators posted proposed cannabis tax rules and will hold a meeting to discuss them on October 6.

 

California is providing $15 million in grants to support local cannabis equity programs.

 

Geneva, Switzerland will launch a cannabis legalization pilot program next year.

 

The mayor of Amsterdam, Netherlands is pushing to ban foreigners from cannabis coffee shops despite opposition from the city council, which is expected to vote on the issue on Wednesday.