After a three-year freeze on Oregon cannabis business license applications, the state has resumed the task this month.
The Oregon Liquor & Cannabis Commission (OLCC) originally hit the “pause” button on June 15, 2018, citing a backlog in paperwork and an oversupply of cannabis products in the market. At the time, concerns over diversion and out-of-state trafficking were emanating from the U.S. district attorney’s office.
It was unclear how long the pause would last—until this fall.
“Since [June 2018], the OLCC has made significant changes to streamline licensing and renewal processes that generally accelerates the licensing process,” according to a recently published state bulleting. “With these changes in place, the OLCC is now able to shift licensing staff back to processing new license applications.”
For those business who submitted retailer, wholesaler and processor applications on or after June 15, 2018, the state will be contacting applicants to get a sense of whether they are ready to move forward at this point.
Prospective cannabis growers, however, remain in a state of limbo for now. A law that invalidated all producer license applications submitted after June 15, 2018, is set to be repealed in January 2022. No new producer license applications are being accepted until then.
Read the information bulletin from the state here.
