Heavy Demand For Licenses For Adult-Use Marijuana Businesses In Delaware

WILMINGTON, DE – The demand for marijuana business licenses in Delaware far exceeds the supply, according to a report by Delaware Online.

During the application period that ran from Aug. 19 to Sept. 30, the Office of the Marijuana Commissioner said 1,260 applications for licenses were received.  This included 800 for just 30 retail operations.

The interest was quite a bit stronger than what officials had been expecting.  “It looks like the word got out and yes, the response was very significant,” state Marijuana Commissioner Rob Coupe said.

An initial lottery to approve applications for cultivation licenses is scheduled for Oct. 24.  A retail-only lottery will be held in late November or early December.  All applications are being reviewed to ensure they meet qualifications.

Open Retailer and Social Equity Retailer licenses accounted for more than half of the applications.  Open retailers can operate anywhere, while social equity applications are designed to benefit people with marijuana-related convictions and areas disproportionately affected by past marijuana laws around Delaware, including parts of Dover, Laurel, Middletown and Wilmington.

Open applications cost $5,000, micro applications cost $3,000, and social equity applications cost $1,000.

Applicants for a social equity license must live for five of the last 15 years in the disproportionately impacted area or the applicant or their immediate family must have a past marijuana conviction.

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