Massachusetts has officially approved its first recreational #marijuana license!
Or, more specifically, its first recreational marijuana cultivation license. Which means that this license does not apply to the retail sales of marijuana, but does allow for growers in the state to begin operating.
On June 21st, the Cannabis Control Commission unanimously voted to approve a recreational cultivation license for Sira Naturals - simply put, Sira Naturals can now grow marijuana for recreational use.
Sira Naturals may be the first officially approved recreational cultivator, but they definitely won’t be the last - the Cannabis Control Commission has stated that there are almost 60 more applications that they will be reviewing in the near future.
Now that leaves us with the elephant in the room - the licensing of retail stores for adult-use cannabis. So far, no license has been issued to retailers in Massachusetts permitting them to sell recreational marijuana. However, the target date for issuance is July 1st of 2018.
It’s still pretty unclear when the first recreational pot shops will open. The chairman of the Cannabis Control Commission, Steven Hoffman, has refrained from providing a set prediction, but to all you pot-lovers and potential business owners out there; don’t fret! The first recreational marijuana license was approved 18 months after voters first voted to legalize recreational marijuana. The licensing approval process for retail stores may seem slow now, but licenses for pot shops will soon start ‘rolling’ around.