Are you trying to open a legal recreational marijuana store in Colorado? If so, you are not alone. According to numbers recently released by Colorado’s Marijuana Enforcement Division, 136 people applied to open recreational marijuana outlets. The earliest date for the shops to open would be January 1st, which it sounds like is the likely date that the applications are to be approved. If so, starting in 2014 people can buy legal marijuana in Colorado. It’s probably time to book a flight!
According to the Denver Post, “Application fees for new recreational-marijuana businesses start at $500 and licensing fees range from $2,750 to $14,000, depending on the type of business and other factors. Postlethwait said the division has not finished its accounting on how much money it collected in October, but estimated that application fees alone brought in around $179,000.”
These applicants were from people already operating in Colorado. Eventually people from outside of Colorado will flood into the state to try to get in on the Green Rush. I’m curious to see how many applicants there are once that occurs. There were 28 applicants for infused product production, and 174 applications for commercial cultivation. It appears that the desire to be a recreational marijuana supplier is more popular than being a recreational marijuana distributor.
Were you one of the applicants? If so, how do you think the process is going? If you weren’t one of the applicants, but are still planning on applying, what is the thing that is deterring you from applying so far? Is it the fees? For more about the Colorado recreational marijuana business licensing process, click here.
