The Delaware Office of the Marijuana Commissioner will begin accepting license applications on August 19 for those interested in joining the state’s recreational marijuana market.
The opening of the license process comes nearly a year after Delaware legalized adult-use recreational marijuana. The state will be accepting applications for cultivation, manufacturing, retail stores, and testing facilities. Eligible applications will be entered into a lottery, overseen by the marijuana commissioner, set for late October 2024.
Applicants are required to submit a detailed business plan along with safety and security protocols, operational, training, and staffing plans, and disclose any criminal, civil, or regulatory history. Delaware has set a limit of 60 cultivation licenses, 30 manufacturing licenses, 30 retail licenses, and 5 testing facility licenses.
A portion of each license category is reserved for micro-license applicants, with 47 licenses designated for social equity applicants. These social equity licenses are available to those who have been arrested for a marijuana-related offense or have lived in areas disproportionately impacted by drug laws. While the social equity validation pre-screening process is now closed, applicants who believe they qualify can still apply for the program.
Applicants must submit all required paperwork by September 30. The commissioner’s office plans to start issuing cultivation and manufacturing licenses before the end of 2024, with retail and testing facility licenses expected to be distributed in early 2025.
Under Delaware’s recreational marijuana law, those 21 and older are allowed to possess up to an ounce of marijuana, which they can purchase from licensed marijuana retail outlets. The Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Enforcement is charged with regulating the marijuana industry through a new Office of Marijuana Control Commissioner. Marijuana sales are taxed at 15%, with medical marijuana remaining tax free.
For more information on Delaware’s recreational marijuana licensing process, click here.
