Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

License Application Window To Open For Medical Marijuana Dispensaries In Washington

Medical marijuana dispensaries in Washington state will have to comply with the state's recreational pot regulations.
Mjpresson
/
Wikimedia Commons
Medical marijuana dispensaries in Washington state will have to comply with the state's recreational pot regulations.

The license application window opens Monday for medical marijuana dispensaries in Washington state that want to continue to operate.

A new state law requires Washington’s largely unregulated medical marijuana industry to comply with the state’s regulated recreational pot rules.

Not all dispensaries will qualify and the state will prioritize applicants based on a variety of factors. Those include: a record of paying taxes, no criminal history, as well as store location.

While the license application period is opening now, the new regulatory structure won’t actually take effect until next July.

It’s estimated there are more than 1,000 medical marijuana dispensaries in Washington. By comparison, the state has licensed just over 200 recreational pot shops.

Copyright 2015 Northwest News Network

Since January 2004, Austin Jenkins has been the Olympia-based political reporter for the Northwest News Network. In that position, Austin covers Northwest politics and public policy as well as the Washington State legislature. You can also see Austin on television as host of TVW's (the C–SPAN of Washington State) Emmy-nominated public affairs program "Inside Olympia." Prior to joining the Northwest News Network, Austin worked as a television reporter in Seattle, Portland and Boise. Austin is a graduate of Garfield High School in Seattle and Connecticut College in New London, Connecticut. Austin’s reporting has been recognized with awards from the Association of Capitol Reporters and Editors, Public Radio News Directors Incorporated and the Society of Professional Journalists.
Austin Jenkins
Since January 2004, Austin Jenkins has been the Olympia-based political reporter for the Northwest News Network. In that position, Austin covers Northwest politics and public policy, as well as the Washington State Legislature. You can also see Austin on television as host of TVW's (the C–SPAN of Washington State) Emmy-nominated public affairs program "Inside Olympia."