When licenses are issued in February, there will be a 15-day
“don’t ask, don’t tell” period where cannabis producers may obtain seeds,
starts and non-flowering marijuana plants from anywhere, without question. So,
many of the first pot plants that people will be smoking recreationally, and
legally, next year have already been planted.
As of November 18, cannabis entrepreneurs have 30 days to
submit business license applications. The Washington State Liquor Control Board
will review and process applications as they are received, however, retail
applications will be held until the application deadline to determine whether
or not the number of applications exceed the number of licenses allotted. In
which case it will be necessary to conduct a lottery to decide who gets a
license.
The State legislature will convene on January 13, 2014. The
liquor board is planning to lobby for three pot-related bills at that time. The
first one would allow selling pot among producers, and limit hash transactions
to seven grams. The second bill would allow the liquor board to employ minors
to conduct stings on pot businesses, and the third bill would make a state
police force out of liquor board enforcement employees.
Once the agency has approved pot-growing licenses, in February
or March, the first batch of plants will reach their final destinations. The
state plans to license two million square feet of recreational cannabis
production-enough for 200,000 full-grown plants.
Approved pot businesses have up to a year to activate their
license, but it is expected that some of the 334 shops will try to open as
quickly as the first crop can be harvested and processed, in May or June.
