Vermont law requires that licenses for integrated licenses, small cultivators, and testing laboratories begin to be issued on or before May 1st, 2022. The Vermont Cannabis Control Board announced that they are not prepared to start issuing adult-use cannabis licenses. According to the announcement adhering strictly with the May 1st date without a full licensing staff or a compliance team would run counter to consumer protection and public safety. Chairman James Pepper explained that the agency was unable to start hiring licensing and enforcement staff until state funding was approved until March. At the current moment the Vermont Cannabis Board has four employees.
This delay is causing some to question whether Vermont will be ready for cannabis sales to begin in October as previously expected. The agency is not struggling to find job applicants to fill the 15 job positions. Lots of interested individuals have applied. It took a few weeks for the agency to work with Human Resources to create the job positions. Employers must also to promote the job for a period of time before hiring can take place. According to Pepper the Board has prequalified 80 applicants. Pepper does not believe that this early delay will have much impact on the debut of recreational cannabis sales.
Find more about this story from the Bennington Banner here: https://www.benningtonbanner.com/business/cannabis-control-board-deals-with-licensing-delays/article_3efb6b72-cb10-11ec-8ca6-3b290ffe1bad.html
Additional information is available from WCAX here: https://www.wcax.com/2022/04/28/vermont-legal-weed-sales-likely-be-delayed/
