The Cannabusiness Report brings you this dispatch from the Wild, Wild West. Not Colorado this time, but Washington, which became the second state to legalize recreational recreational marijuana two years ago. On July 8, businesses may begin selling the chronic over-the-counter. But Washington’s rollout will apparently be a slow one: Only 24 of the possible 334 dispensary licenses have been authorized for opening day.
Fusion’s Cannabis Correspondent, Ryan Nerz, interviews David Rheins, the CEO of the Seattle-based Marijuana Business Association. Rheins explains that, because grower’s licenses were issued late, they might actually run out of weed. As for the big launch, Rheins explains: “There will be limited product-no edibles, mostly flower and pre-rolls.”
Though the rollout will be more gradual than Colorado’s, Rheins still thinks the tortoise will ultimately beat the hare in this race. “Washington’s approach will be the one that’s emulated as legalization rolls out across the country… and indeed the world,” Rheins predicted. “Because we are a pure experiment, we are really building the Harvard Business Review case study of how to create a legal marketplace.”
Watch the @FusionLiveTV interview with David Rheins, CEO of Marijuana Business Association, on Washington state’s rollout of legal #cannabis