Wash. pot business applications surpass 3,000

[unhappycamper]

http://gazette.com/wash.-pot-business-applications-surpass-3000/article/feed/73624

Wash. pot business applications surpass 3,000
Updated: December 24, 2013 at 2:16 pm • Published: December 24, 2013

SEATTLE (AP) — More than 3,700 marijuana business applications have now been filed in Washington state, including 867 proposed retail outlets spanning from Point Roberts to Pullman.

Washington's Liquor Control Board released updated figures Tuesday, saying it had received 3,746 applications to grow, process or sell cannabis under Washington's recreational pot law passed by voters last year. The application window closed last week, but board spokesman Mikhail Carpenter said there is still a backlog of submissions that haven't been processed yet.

Carpenter said it's premature to dissect the numbers because it's not clear how many of the applications are viable. He said it appears some applicants hadn't done the work to identify a business location.

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Investigators have already started reviewing applicants, and the state hopes to begin issuing licenses at the end of February. Applicants must undergo background checks, be residents of Washington state, and have their business areas inspected by the state.