Office of the Marijuana Commissioner: Licensing Lottery

Following the successful completion of the application review, we are pleased to announce that 727 applications will advance to the lottery stage and will include all categories except the Open Retail category, for which we plan to have a separate lottery in December. The Licensing Lottery will be broadcast live on Facebook Live on October 24, 2024. Below are the details of the license categories, counties, and the number of applications moving forward:

Office of the Marijuana Commissioner (OMC) License Lottery

Thursday, October 24, 2024

Dover, DE

Starting at 9:00 a.m.

End time is estimated to be before 12:00 p.m.

Live Broadcast: Facebook Live "Office of The Marijuana Commissioner".

Link will be shared at 8:00 a.m. day of lottery.

Witnesses: (will be released day after for security)

Auditors: (will be released day after for security)

Machine Used: (will be released day after for security)

Location: (will be released day after for security)

Lottery Process Explained:

If an applicant passes the minimum qualifications review and has paid their application fee, they receive a lottery number generated by the system.

A separate drawing is conducted for each category of license by County.

The 10/24/2024 Lottery will include all categories except Open Retail Licenses.

Because of the large number of applications received for Open Retail Licenses, they could not be processed in time for the October lottery drawing and will be selected in a separate lottery drawing conducted in December 2024. (Date to be announced)

The lottery numbers selected in each lottery drawing will be made visible during the live broadcast. A press release including the selected lottery numbers.

The OMC will contact the selected applicants in the days following the lottery. Once all selected applicants have been officially notified, the identity of the selected applicants will be shared with the media and the public. The selected applicants in categories that did not require a lottery drawing will also be released at this time.

Selected Applicants will be issued a Conditional License and begin the Supplemental Application Process.

An Active License, enabling the licensee to commence business operations, is not issued until the OMC has determined that the applicant satisfies all requirements contained in the applicable law and regulations.

Can I change my license category before the lottery?

No. The only exception is for applicants who applied for a Social Equity license and were found to be ineligible as a social equity applicant. These applicants can pay an additional $4,000 to amend their license to the same Open License category.

What will the OMC do with the licenses that did not receive enough applications for the allotted spots per county?

In the Micro Cultivation category for New Castle County there were only 6 applications for the 9 licenses allotted for the County. The 3 vacant licenses will be reassigned to Kent and Sussex County for the upcoming lottery to maximize opportunity to issue all available conditional licenses provided for under the Marijuana Control Act. The OMC will add 2 of the vacant licenses to Kent County Micro Cultivation and 1 to Sussex County Micro Cultivation.

In the Open Testing Lab category, there were no applications for the 1 available Open Testing License in Sussex County and a total of only 2 applications submitted statewide. The vacant Open Testing Lab license will be held for a supplemental second chance lottery, most likely in the late summer of 2025.

Cultivation:

01- Open Cultivation

NCC - 9 Licenses Available - 37 Applications lottery eligible

KC - 4 Licenses Available - 31 Applications lottery eligible

SC-7 Licenses Available - 27 Applications lottery eligible

02- Social Equity Cultivation

NCC- 5 Licenses Available - 44 Applications lottery eligible

KC-2 Licenses Available - 27 Applications lottery eligible

SC-3 Licenses Available - 29 Applications lottery eligible

03- Micro Cultivation

NCC- No lottery needed for NCC Micro Cultivation 6 licenses available -6 Applications lottery eligible.

KC-6 Licenses Available - 9 Applications lottery eligible

SC-8 Licenses Available - 10 Applications lottery eligible.

11- Social Equity Micro Cultivation

NCC- No lottery needed for NCC S.E. Micro Cultivation 5 Licenses available- 5 Applications lottery eligible.

KC-2 Licenses Available - 4 Applications lottery eligible

SC-3 Licenses Available - 6 Applications lottery eligible

Manufacturer:

04- Open Manufacturer

NCC- 5 Licenses Available - 27 Applications lottery eligible

KC- 2 Licenses Available - 20 Applications lottery eligible

SC- 3 Licenses Available - 14 Applications lottery eligible

05- Social Equity Manufacturer

NCC- 5 Licenses Available - 43 Applications lottery eligible

KC-2 Licenses Available - 23 Applications lottery eligible

SC-3 Licenses Available - 26 Applications lottery eligible

06- Micro Manufacturer

NCC- 5 Licenses Available - 9 Applications lottery eligible

KC-2 Licenses Available - 8 Applications lottery eligible

SC- No lottery needed for SC Micro Manufacturer 3 licenses available- 3 Applications lottery eligible

Retail:

07- Open Retail

Eligible applicant information is pending final review of the applications. Lottery for this category of license will be held in December 2024.

08- Social Equity Retail

NCC- 7 Licenses Available - 120 Applications lottery eligible

KC-3 Licenses Available - 96 Applications lottery eligible

SC-5 Licenses Available - 99 Applications lottery eligible.

Testing Lab:

09- Open Testing Lab

NCC - No lottery needed for NCC Testing Lab. 1 license available-1 application lottery eligible

KC-No lottery needed for KC Testing Lab. 1 license available -1 application lottery eligible

SC-No lottery needed for SC Testing Lab. 1 license available - 0 applications received.

10- Social Equity Testing Lab

NCC - No lottery needed for NCC Testing Lab. 1 license available-1 application lottery eligible

KC-No license available.

SC-No lottery needed for SC Testing Lab. 1 license available - 1 application lottery eligible

What do the letters and digits signify in the lottery numbers?

First Character: County of Business: county where business intends to operate.

N- New Castle County

K- Kent County

S- Sussex County

Second Character: Type of Marijuana License:

1- Cultivation

2- Retail

3- Manufacturing

4- Testing

Third Character: Category of Marijuana License:

O- Open

E- Social Equity

M- Micro Business

Fourth & Fifth Characters: License Code # XX

01 - Open Cultivation

02 - Social Equity Cultivation

03 - Micro Cultivation

04 - Open Manufacturer

05 - Social Equity Manufacturer

06 - Micro Manufacturer

07 - Open Retailer

08 - Social Equity Retailer

09 - Open Testing Lab

10 - Social Equity Testing Lab

11 - Social Equity Micro Cultivation

Sixth Character: Received Application Sequence Number:

Number value to indicate the order the application was received:

Value is 001-15XX

The OMC remains committed to ensuring a transparent and equitable licensing process as established by the Marijuana Control Act. The OMC will continue to uphold the highest standards of integrity throughout the lottery process, including the disclosure of all selected applicants and lottery results in a timely and secure manner.

Applicants should carefully review the details outlined above and be prepared for the next phase of the licensing process. We encourage all participants to stay informed by following the live broadcast and awaiting official communication from the OMC regarding the lottery results.

The OMC looks forward to working with the selected applicants during the next steps of the Supplemental Application Process and issuing Conditional Licenses, with the goal of fostering a regulated, safe, and sustainable marijuana industry in Delaware. Should any additional information or guidance be needed, applicants are encouraged to contact the OMC directly.

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