The Washington state Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB) will stop accepting marijuana retail license applications on March 31 at 5 p.m. The board began processing retail applications on Oct. 12, 2015 to accommodate additional demand and provide additional access points before the medical and recreational marketplace are merged on July 1.
“We are at the point where the number of highest priority applicants will exceed the number of available retail licenses,” said WSLCB Licensing Division Director Becky Smith in a press release. “We’ll meet the retail cap with priority ones and twos that we’re already processing.”
In January, the board adopted emergency rules to expand the number of retail marijuana outlets to align the two markets. Based on staff’s recommendation, the former retail store cap of 334 was lifted to a new cap of 556. The recommendation followed an analysis of the entire marijuana marketplace by the state’s contracted research organization, BOTEC Analysis Corporation.
To be considered for a retail store at this time, applicants must apply for a business license before the deadline on March 31.
