Delaware has received over 1,260 applications between August 19 and September 30, according to data released by the state.
(Photo credit: Getty Images).
Of these, 800 applications were for the 30 available retail licenses, according to Delaware’s Office of the Marijuana Commissioner. The state generated over $4 million from application fees.
Applicants paid $5,000 for an open application (non-social equity or microbusiness), $3,000 for a microbusiness license, and $1,000 for a social equity license.
The state will hold an initial lottery to award cultivation licenses on October 24, with a retail-only lottery planned for late November or early December. However, no lotteries will be held for testing lab or social equity licenses in New Castle and Sussex counties due to insufficient applications.
More than half of the applications submitted were for Open Retailer and Social Equity Retailer licenses. Social equity licenses aim to support individuals with marijuana-related convictions or those from areas disproportionately impacted by past drug policies, including parts of Dover, Laurel, Middletown, and Wilmington.
Marijuana Commissioner Robert Coupe told us that his office received “considerably” more applications than expected.
Additionally, all of Delaware’s existing medical marijuana operators applied to have their licenses converted to adult-use permits.
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.
