Guam’s Cannabis Control Board has given the green light to 11 “responsible officials,” or government-approved business leaders that must be in place before a company receives an adult-use license, as officials await applications for cannabis business licenses.
Most recently, the board approved Trisha Blas, a responsible official for an aspiring cannabis manufacturing facility called Guahannabis LLC, and Eugene Arriola, a responsible official for a planned cultivation operation called The Heights Farm, according to the Pacific Daily News.
Nine responsible officials were previously approved and have been informed of the next steps to apply for a cannabis establishment licenses, the news outlet reported, although no one has yet applied for a license.
“They have it, they’re working on their packet, but none of them actually submitted to the office for review or consideration at this time,” Craig Camacho, compliance supervisor with the Guam Department of Revenue and Taxation, told the Pacific Daily News.
Guam legalized adult-use cannabis in 2019 and adopted regulations for the industry in May 2022. Under the regulatory framework, adults can legally grow, possess and consume cannabis, but it remains illegal to sell cannabis until the commercial market launches.
The Department of Revenue and Taxation opened the adult-use cannabis business licensing process in August. Applicants must be approved responsible officials, be at least 21 years old, own or operate the business, and not be convicted of manufacturing or distributing Schedule I or Schedule II controlled substances, except for cannabis.
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There are separate licenses available for cultivators, manufacturers, testing labs and retailers, the Pacific Daily News reported, and licensees are barred from owning more than one type of cannabis business.
The Cannabis Control Board is required to host an annual summit with government officials that provides industry stakeholders an opportunity to discuss cannabis regulation, although Theresa Arriola, chairwoman of the board’s public awareness committee, told the Pacific Daily News that officials have yet to organize the first summit.
In the meantime, the Cannabis Control Board’s next scheduled meeting is Jan. 23.
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