Licensing

Canada is raising regulatory fees for cannabis operators to align with the nation’s 4.4% inflation rate, impacting various license application and annual fees to support the regulation of its legal cannabis market.

In a recent report prefacing the state’s upcoming adult-use cannabis market, Minnesota officials said they will need to license at least 381 cannabis dispensaries to satisfy the state’s legalization law.

New Mexico cannabis regulators this week revoked the licenses of two adult-use cannabis cultivators for allegedly exceeding the legal plant count limits and failing to properly utilize the state’s mandatory track-and-trace system.

Earlier this month, Alabama announced the winners of the state’s integrated medical cannabis licenses, making national headlines via their decision to award Trulieve — a publicly-traded company founded in Florida — the sole license reserved for “minority-owned” businesses. Other applicants are now suing the state, citing irregularities with the application scoring process.

The South African province of KwaZulu-Natal recently granted 664 licenses to cultivate, store, and transport industrial hemp plants containing up to 0.2% THC content.

An applicant to be a medical cannabis producer in Alabama is suing the state after being left out of the most recent licensing round, claiming that regulators had unfairly revoked the license it had been approved for in previous licensing rounds.

Minnesota’s Office of Cannabis Management has indicated that regulators anticipate launching the state’s adult-use cannabis industry in 2025.

A New York judge has approved a settlement between the state Cannabis Control Board and four military veterans who had sued the state over its social equity licensing plan, ending the months-long injunction on the state’s cannabis licensing process.

Alabama medical cannabis regulators have finally awarded 20 industry licenses. It is the third time this year the commission has awarded licenses — the previous two attempts were negated by claims of incorrect application scoring, and multiple lawsuits.

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) this week introduced two non-negotiables to any adult-use cannabis rules in the state: a 15-store cap statewide and a ban on lobbying and political contributions by cannabis licensees.

The New York Cannabis Control Board this week approved a settlement in a lawsuit brought by military veterans that has prevented more than 400 adult-use cannabis dispensaries from moving forward in the state.

Following a recent Georgia Court of Appeals ruling, state cannabis regulators are finally issuing medical cannabis licenses after a more than two-year legal fight.

The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission this week reached a settlement with license applicants to address most of the issues highlighted by the multiple lawsuits against the agency.

Oklahoma has extended its moratorium on new medical cannabis licenses until 2026, or until “all pending licensing reviews, inspections or investigations are complete.”

Missouri cannabis regulators have revoked the license of cannabis company Delta Extractions, which in August was the subject of a near-63,000 product recall.

The first round of Maryland’s adult-use cannabis licensing process is open; state law requires the first round of licenses to be set aside for social equity applicants.