BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – As Vermont regulators suspend new retail and Tier 2 cultivation applications, they are taking a closer look at how other states manage their cannabis industries.
In less than two years, Vermont has issued more than 90 retail cannabis licenses. Currently, the Cannabis Control Commission is putting a stop to the green rush. The board does not want the market to become even more saturated and plans to create new rules after being given authority by lawmakers to enact regulations that affect geographic distribution based on population.
Oregon went through a similar process. I spoke to the leader of the Oregon Cannabis Retailers Association. The association lobbied for a cap on applications to ease the problem of a market plagued by business owners applying for “receipts” after the market became unregulated and oversaturated.
“I hope that happens in Vermont, too, because they should have hopefully looked around at other parts of this country and seen the struggles that we've had, so if you're thinking, I think once you put the cap on, it's just going to be, 'Do good,'” said Marianne Carsetsey of the Oregon Cannabis Retailers Association.
The board says it wants to protect producers, sellers and communities.
However, not everyone in the industry agrees with the decision. One retailer I spoke to said the market will decide for itself who stays and who goes.
The commission will suspend accepting applications on November 15th.
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