CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The state Office of Medical Cannibas has announced a two-month application period for the medical marijuana program putting it on a path that could result in the product being available in approximately 18 months.
Those interested in growing, processing, dispensing or testing the product will have from Dec. 19 to Feb. 18 to apply online. The state will then score the applications and decide which applicants are to be chosen for the program.
“There will be 10 grower permits, 10 processor permits and up to 100 dispensary permits. There is no limit on the number of labs permitted,” state Office of Medical Cannibas Director Jason Frame said.
The state’s new vertical integration law will allow interested parties to apply for grower, processor and dispensary permits. Those with lab permits cannot have other permits in the program.
According to Frame, depending on the number of applicants, it will likely to take up to 90 more days after the application period closes to evaluate and score the applications.
“We’ll be looking at things like capital adequacy. We’re going to explore their criminal background, also their background in relation to this industry, whether they are experienced perhaps in another state in the industry. All to help us gauge their probability for success,” Frame told MetroNews Tuesday.
After permits are awarded, facilities will have six months to build out to achieve operational status. Then they’ll have to grow the plant and have it processed into saleable form, Frame said.
“We’ve got several major chunks of time we are looking at here. That adds up to about a year and a half,” Frame said.
So it’s possible medical marijuana would be available in West Virginia by mid-2021.
“Our goal is to make this happen as soon as possible but there are a lot of major milestones between now and when the first patient purchases medical cannibas in West Virginia,” Frame said.
The Office of Medical Cannibas has spent the last several months working with the governor’s office, state Treasurer John Perdue and its final vendor that will handle the financial side of the program.
“Implementing the banking procedures was perhaps a more complicated and far-reaching process than had been anticipated, so that’s what we’ve been working through for the past few months,” Frame said.
All applications will have to be submitted online at www.medcanwv.org. Paper applications will not be accepted.