Over 300 Recreational Cannabis Stores to Open in Washington Under Proposed Regulations
Washington State’s Liquor Control Board, the entity tasked with regulating the newly-legal recreational cannabis industry, has released its latest draft regulations
, which includes the number of retail outlets which will be allowed in each county. Under the proposed rules – which will be finalized by October 16th – a maximum of 334 retail outlets will become licensed by the state to legally distribute cannabis to adults; 61 can be located in King County, the state’s biggest county, with 21 being allowed in Seattle.
The draft regulations also includes a new timeline for implementation of these proposed regulations:
- Oct. 9: A public hearing will be held to discussed these proposed regulations
- Oct. 16: The board will officially adopt the regulations
- Nov. 16: The rules are officially put into effect
- Nov. 18: The Liquor Board will begin accepting applications for those wishing to become licensed growers, producers or distributors
- Dec. 1: The state will now begin issuing licenses to qualified applicants.
As part of the new regulations, licensees – for the first 15 days only – will be allowed to bring in their own mature (non-flowering) plants, rather than being mandated to start from seeds; this will lead to cannabis retail outlets opening at least several weeks earlier than expected, likely by the spring.
We’ll keep you updated as these rules become finalized, and are implemented.
– TheJointBlog