Washington Legal Marijuana News: State Predicts Major Shortage in Near Future
As the first legal recreational marijuana retailers in Washington prepare for business, the one product customers might not see on shelves is the pot itself. Shop owners are limited since many producers who have applied or been approved to grow do not have enough harvest to keep up with demand.
The Washington State Liquor Control Board plans to issue between 15 and 20 licenses to stores July 7. The shops could open as soon as Tuesday if they are ready, but it is unclear how many of the newly licensed locations will open their doors.
"What do you do when your shelves are empty? Do I just send everybody home? Do we try and stay open? I can't pay people if we aren't selling anything," James Lathrop, owner of Cannabis City in Seattle, said. Lathrop plans on being one of the first legal pot shops to open but is concerned at how quickly his supply will sell out.
The limited licensing and slow approval system for marijuana growers is the root reason that Washington's weed supply will be low for the first weeks of sales. Of the 2,600 grower applicants, the WSLCB has only approved about 80 statewide.
Brian Smith, a spokesperson for the agency, said investigators are overwhelmed with testing and evaluations that need to be done before each grower or processor can be licensed.
"There is a gold rush mentality," Smith said of the growers, processors and retailers. "Many didn't read what it would require to get a license. ... We didn't expect 7,000 applicants."
While recreational users will likely be scrambling for bud, this shortage shouldn't affect those who use marijuana for medicine. Medical users will still be able to buy product from medical marijuana dispensaries, which while illegal, don't appear to be going anywhere soon.
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