The Delaware Office of the Marijuana Commissioner (OMC) held its inaugural marijuana licensing lottery today, marking the first step in awarding marijuana business licenses in the state.
The event, conducted at 9 a.m., randomly selected from 727 applications across multiple categories, excluding retail licenses, which will be drawn in a separate lottery in December due to the high volume of applications.
The lottery distributed licenses for categories such as cultivation, manufacturing, and testing across Kent and Sussex counties. In the open cultivation category, Kent County awarded 4 licenses out of 31 applications, while Sussex County granted 7 licenses from a pool of 27. The micro-cultivation category saw 6 licenses awarded in Kent and 8 in Sussex, with a similar distribution for social equity applicants.
For open manufacturer licenses, Kent County awarded 2 licenses and Sussex County 3. In the social equity manufacturer category, 2 licenses were awarded in Kent, and 3 in Sussex. Micro-manufacturer licenses saw 2 licenses awarded in Kent, while no lottery was necessary in Sussex as the number of applications matched the available spots.
Retail licenses, the most highly anticipated category, will be addressed in December 2024, when the OMC plans to hold a separate lottery to accommodate the large number of applications.
The lottery marks a significant milestone for Delaware’s marijuana industry, which is regulated by the OMC under the Delaware Marijuana Control Act.
Delaware legalized recreational marijuana last year. The law allows 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.
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