The Office of the Marijuana Commissioner (OMC) has received an overwhelming response with 1,269 applications from individuals interested in entering the recreational marijuana business in Delaware. With only 125 licenses available, the majority of applicants will be put into a lottery process scheduled for October 24 to determine who will receive a cultivation, manufacturing, testing, or retail license. Marijuana Commissioner Rob Coupe mentioned that just a few license categories fell short of having more applicants than available licenses, but they are considering an additional lottery next spring or summer to fill those slots.
Applicants were given the option to automatically be entered into another lottery if they are not chosen during the current cycle. OMC also plans to conduct a separate lottery for retail licenses and any other categories not included in the first lottery in October. Despite the interest in the retail category, Coupe expressed satisfaction with the number of testing lab applicants, ensuring the state will have enough labs to manage the workload.
The current application cycle has generated over $4 million in fees, and conversion licenses for current medical dispensaries looking to enter the recreational market need to be granted by November. OMC aims to have some newly selected adult-use retail licensees ready to go online by April in order to open the market. The retail category received the most applications, with 519 for open retailers and 325 for social equity retailers, for only 15 licenses available in each category.
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