Overview
- Under the timeline, license applications would open next summer and sales could begin Nov. 1, 2026 if the General Assembly passes the bill and the governor signs it.
- The joint commission outlined an ABC-style system overseen by the Cannabis Control Authority with 53 changes from last session’s bill after months of public input.
- The draft would end local opt-out referendums, leaving siting to local zoning while requiring at least 1,000-foot buffers from schools, places of worship, child care sites, hospitals and treatment centers.
- Up to 350 stores are proposed statewide with a one-mile spacing rule between retailers that lawmakers indicated could be shortened after feedback.
- Provisions include temporary two-year grower licenses for limited on-site sales or home delivery and an option for localities to raise their local sales tax to 3.5%, alongside measures prioritizing small and justice-impacted businesses that advocates say may still face disadvantages.