Legislative & Licensing Update: March 16, 2022
Main News This Week: New York Social Equity Dispensary Applications
Plus, yea and nay votes in Georgia, Mississippi, and New Hampshire. Rollout steps in New Jersey. New rules and regulations in Oregon, Rhode Island, and Vermont. And, early-stage plans in Germany.
New York opened up the application window for the first retail cannabis licenses, with these conditional licenses being offered for those with past cannabis-related convictions. The application window for these initial dispensary licenses opened yesterday and will close at the end of June.
To be eligible for what New York is calling “justice involved” dispensary licenses, the applicant must have had a past cannabis-related conviction in the state of New York or have a parent, legal guardian, child, spouse, or dependent with a conviction. Additionally, the eligibility requirements include holding or having held, for at least two years, at least ten percent ownership interest in, and control of, a qualifying business. Our team of experts can help applicants wade through the eligibility requirements and start preparing an application.
The Georgia House of Representatives could vote on legislation to add new medical cannabis business licenses and process existing approvals this coming Tuesday.
Mississippi saw the first municipalities vote to opt out of the state’s medical cannabis program, the first being Pass Christian followed by Ridgeland
New Hampshire House of Representatives voted to reject or table several proposed marijuana legalization constitutional amendments.
New Jersey: The Cannabis Regulatory Commission completed two stages of review for many applicants and identified some as incomplete.
Also in New Jersey, the state is partnering with Metrc for its track and trace system.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown signed a bill allowing regulators to refuse to issue hemp cultivation licenses based on supply and demand
Rhode Island House and Senate leaders introduced a compromise marijuana legalization bill that follows months of negotiations between the two chambers.
Vermont regulators approved marijuana rules and will begin accepting applications for cannabis business pre-qualification status on Wednesday.
And finally, in international news, Germany’s drug commissioner said the government is in the “early stages” of forming a marijuana legalization plan and is poised to be the cannabis capital of Europe. Das ist sehr gut.