By, Julia Bergman on CTInsider
Another dozen applicants have received preliminary approval for cannabis licenses ranging from delivery services to product packaging – bringing them a step closer to being among the first businesses to operate in Connecticut’s new adult-use market.
The state’s Social Equity Council voted Friday to approve 12 applications for five different cannabis license types and deny 11 others with little discussion during a special meeting that lasted about 10 minutes.
Here’s a breakdown of the approvals and denials:
Delivery service – approved four equity applications; denied one
Micro cultivator – approved two equity applications
Product packagers – approved two equity applications; denied one
Retailer – approved one equity application
Hybrid retailer (can sell both medical and recreational products) – denied one equity application
Half of all new cannabis licenses in Connecticut are reserved for social equity applicants who meet income, residency, and ownership criteria – with the aim of prioritizing those who’ve been targeted by past prohibition and enforcement.
The council’s vote comes amid a spate of lawsuits from denied equity applicants, mainly for cultivator licenses, challenging the licensing process. One of the lawsuits was seeking to temporarily halt the selection of the sixth applicant for retail licenses.
The state is issuing 12 retail licenses to start with six reserved for equity applicants. On Friday, the council approved an application for the sixth license. Previously, the council gave the go ahead to five equity retailer applications, which are now under review by the state Department of Consumer Protection.
The council has also forwarded 16 equity cultivator applications to DCP, which will issue provisional licenses to those that pass a background check. Applicants are not expected to be identified until that process is complete.
The council on Friday also took up applications for equity joint ventures — partnerships between licensed medical marijuana producers, cultivators or retailers and equity applicants — rejecting most proposals. These business entities must be at least 50 percent owned and controlled by an equity applicant.
Of 10 EJV applications for retail licenses, three were approved and seven were denied. The council also denied one EJV application for a micro-cultivator license. These applicants did not have to go through the lottery process and now have the option of amending their applications and resubmitting them to DCP.
The council has hired the firm CohnReznick to do an initial vetting of the equity applications and recommend which should be approved or denied. The council has rarely, if ever, strayed from the firm’s recommendations.
H/T: CTInsider
You can view the whole article at this link Twelve CT cannabis delivery, product packaging, retailer companies approved By, Julia Bergman on CTInsider
