The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (“WSLCB”) announced this Wednesday, January 18, that the 30 day window to apply for a Washington Social Equity In Cannabis Retail License will open March 1, 2023.
The WSLCB will reissue 44 retail licenses to qualified applicants that rank the highest on a points scale to “prioritize” applicants. The licenses will be anchored to specific counties. As a refresher, we’ve been following the developments in Washington’s efforts to add Section 570 to Washington Annotated Code (“WAC”) Title 314-55 from the draft rules and their issues, the final (and unchanged) rule, and the recently released, rather unhelpful Disproportionately Impacted Area (“DIA”) mapping tool.
The license application process will be completed electronically on the WA Department of Revenue’s business licensing system, though it is not currently available on the DOR’s website.
Washington social equity cannabis license eligibility criteria
To qualify for a license and before being ranked according to the point system, an applicant must be a Washington resident, must own at least 51% of each social equity retail business, and the person or persons owning the business must meet at least two of the following qualifications:
the applicant has lived in a DIA
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