Just months after voters approved Proposition 207 in November 2020, Arizona’s cannabis program is now poised to approve applications for dispensaries.
At last count, 40 out of the 131 medical cannabis dispensaries in the state have applied to sell recreational cannabis. “We are reviewing the applications in order,” said Arizona Department of Health Services Spokesperson Steve Elliott. “The pace of individual approvals will depend on whether each application is complete.”
“This has been a long journey. And, today is a big day for all of us,” said Lilach Mazor Power of Giving Tree, a Phoenix dispensary that is applying to sell recreational cannabis. “Today marks the day that we’re this much closer to be able to share our experience with others.”
There has been some concern in the past about the $25,000 fee associated with the licensing process, but Demitri Downing of the Arizona Marijuana Industry Association feels that the fee will more than pay off for those who are able to enter the industry. “If you gave me a suitcase full of cash with $15 million, I would have trouble buying you a license,” Downing said. “Everybody’s waiting for that license to be worth 17, 18, 19 million dollars for the right alone—the right alone—to sell adult-use marijuana.”
Currently, only existing medical dispensaries are eligible to sell recreational cannabis. The state will eventually expand the recreational program after all the already established dispensaries have had a chance to apply, and many are hopeful that it won’t be long before these initial licenses are processed. “Seeing how easy and smooth the application is and how Arizona is on top of it…I think we can say between 48 hours from now. It depends on how long it takes them,” Power said.
