To date, no one has applied for a cannabis retail license in Guam

The newly established recreational cannabis industry in Guam is slowly but surely taking shape.

Pacific Daily News reported this week that state regulators on United States territory have permitted 11 so-called “responsible officials” to participate in the recreational cannabis market, but the Department of Treasury and Revenue says “no one has taken the next step of applying for a cannabis operating license.” .”

However, earning this designation is a critical step in the process of getting a license.

Jeff Wells, chief executive officer of Metrc — the seed-to-sale tracking system Guam uses — said last year the company was “excited to take on the challenge of this unique regulatory opportunity.”

“Metrc is excited to partner with the Department of Public Health and Human Services as Guam builds its medical marijuana market. We look forward to working with both regulators and licensed business owners to implement the island’s first regulatory track and trace program. We’re proud to play a leading role in ensuring the safety of the country’s legal cannabis market,” Wells said at the time.

Guam legalized recreational cannabis back in 2019 with the Guam Cannabis Industries Act.

The measure “legalises the personal possession of marijuana by adults and establishes regulations governing the commercial production and retail sale of the plant,” according to NORML.

“The law allows persons 21 and older to legally possess and transfer up to one ounce of marijuana flower and/or eight grams of concentrated cannabis. The measure, which went into effect immediately, also allows adults to privately grow up to six cannabis plants (no more than three full-grown plants) in a “closed, locked space.” Public use of cannabis will remain a violation of the law,” NORML said after approving the measure. “The law creates a new regulatory body to draft rules governing commercial production and retail sales of the facility. The Board has one year to enact rules necessary to permit licensed cannabis facilities to operate.”

Guam’s Cannabis Control Board gave the green light to two more “responsible officials” Monday, according to Pacific Daily News. The regulator had already given the go-ahead to nine other people worthy of the designation.

These individuals were “briefed on the next steps during a meeting on November 17 and were given the application forms needed to open a cannabis facility,” Pacific Daily News reported.

“They have it, they’re working on their package, but none of them have actually contacted the office for review or audit at this time,” Craig Camacho, a compliance supervisor for the Department of Revenue and Taxes, told Cannabis Control Board as quoted by Pacific Daily News.

Guam Governor Lou Leon Guerrero announced late last year that the island had “entered a deal with Metrc, a veteran provider of cannabis regulatory systems in the United States.”

“Over the past decade, we have seen significant evidence that cannabis has medicinal benefits. With our Cannabis Control Board’s final review of industry rules and regulations, we can more efficiently control recreational use and ensure safe and regulated products,” Guerrero said in a statement at the time. “The cannabis industry will benefit our community by funding expanded public health and public safety services and providing alternative treatments and rehabilitation options to people who need them.”

Guam Lieutenant Governor Josh Tenorio said that Guam’s cannabis market, as an “island territory and tourism hotspot, faces unique challenges when it comes to regulation and oversight.”

“We are excited about this historic partnership between DPHSS and Metrc, which will assist our government in conducting the safe and responsible operation of our cannabis industry on Guam, while also providing us with the tools we need to ensure our success,” said tenorio.