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Cannabis Consultant on State Regulation

Michael Mayes, CEO of cannabis license consulting company Quantum 9, was quoted in a CenterBlog post. Mayes offered insight into the regulations for cannabis in different states.

CEO of cannabis license consulting firm, Michael Mayes

Difference Between States

There are no federal regulations for cannabis because it is not legal federally. Technically, cannabis is not approved by the FDA. As a result, states have to make their own rules.

Marijuana is legal in 11 states for adults over 21. In addition, it is legal in 33 states for medical use. The states made marijuana legal at different times, so they have different regulations.

Mayes describes the horizontal integration model. Basically, this means that producers, retailers, and distributors are separate. It is the model that the alcohol business follows. That means a dispensary might carry marijuana from different producers.

However, some states use vertical integration in regulation for cannabis. This means that the producers, retailers, and distributors are the same overall. In contrast to horizontal integration, dispensaries produce their own marijuana

Regulation by State

Firstly, states that are vertically integrated:

  • Connecticut
  • Delaware
  • New Hampshire
  • Maine
  • Massachusetts
  • Minnesota
  • New York
  • New Mexico
  • Rhode Island
  • Vermont
  • New Jersey

Secondly, states that allow vertical integration in cannabis regulation

  • Alaska
  • Arizona
  • Colorado
  • Florida
  • Maryland
  • Nevada
  • Oregon

Thirdly, states that are horizontally integrated. In addition, vertical integration is prohibited.

  • California
  • Illinois
  • Washington.

Furthermore, Hawaii, Michigan, and Montana are unregulated.

Cannabis License Consulting

The regulations for cannabis are somewhat confusing. Consequently, newcomers to the industry should do themselves a favor and hire a cannabis consultant.

In other words, Quantum 9 can help with guiding through your state’s cannabis regulations. We can help with license acquisition, as well as facility design.

You can read the article here.

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Octavius Williams

Author Octavius Williams

I am a graduate from the University of North Texas with a B.A. in Print and Digital Journalism. I'm originally from Bryan, TX, but moved to Denton, TX for school. Work I have done has been published on Society19 and Popdust.

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