Live Lottery Selection Held In Delaware To Determine Licenses For Marijuana Businesses

WILMINGTON, DE – Delaware took the next step in its marijuana legalization process last Thursday with a live lottery selection for business applicants, according to Delaware Online.

The Office of the Marijuana Commissioner (OMC) hosted the lottery on Facebook to determine which of the 1,269 applicants would be awarded one of Delaware’s licenses for cultivation, manufacturing, retail, and testing.

“This lottery marks a critical milestone in ensuring a fair and transparent licensing process, providing equal opportunities for businesses to participate in the state’s growing marijuana sector,” the OMC said.

727 of the over 1,260 applications made it to the lottery round for the 125 available licenses. The 13 medical marijuana dispensaries in the state applied and were granted licenses due to be given out next month.

The OMC will send official notifications to the selected applicants, who will then begin the supplemental application process. After all selected applicants have been notified, the OMC will publish the lottery numbers along with the identities of the corresponding selected applicants and their respective counties of operation.

Social equity retail licenses were included in Thursday’s lottery, which had witnesses and an accountant in attendance to ensure the integrity of the process, the agency said.

Because of high demand from applicants, licenses for open retail will be awarded in a separate lottery in December.

The interest was quite a bit stronger than what officials had been expecting, including 800 applicants for just 30 retail operations.

“It looks like the word got out and yes, the response was very significant,” state Marijuana Commissioner Rob Coupe said.

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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