Numbers from the state Department of Consumer Protection show 15,602 retail applications were submitted to the state-run lottery — up from several thousand last week.
Steve Helber / Associated PressConnecticut received a surge of applications for retail cannabis operations before the deadline to apply for a license closed at midnight Wednesday.
Numbers from the state Department of Consumer Protection show 15,602 retail applications were submitted to the state-run lottery — up from several thousand just a week ago.
Dispensaries were expected to attract the most interest of the eight license types as Connecticut set up its legal recreational-use cannabis market. But Andréa Comer, chairwoman of the cannabis Social Equity Council, said she was surprised by the number of applications received.
“We were worried about particularly the number of social equity applicants that would apply, because we knew of the challenges involved,” Comer said. “Clearly, there’s an interest. There’s a recognition of the potential in this industry.”
Slightly more than half of the total retail applications — 8,357 — were submitted to the equity lottery compared with 7,245 non-equity applications.
But the chance of getting one of the coveted licenses is slim. Only 12 retail cannabis licenses will be selected to start with half reserved for equity applicants, who live in areas disproportionately impacted by the failed war on drugs.
All applications will be sent to the third-party lottery vendor and winners will likely be announced in several weeks, Comer said. Selected applicants will receive provisional licenses to start. The council will vet the winners from the equity lottery to ensure they meet all the requirements.
The non-refundable application fees for retailers start at $250 for the social equity lottery.
It’s unclear how many people are behind the 15,602 applications received by the state. Some people interested in getting into Connecticut’s market indicated they intended to each submit hundreds of applications given there’s no limit on the number of times you can apply for a license.
But the rules do limit how many licenses an applicant can receive. DCP cannot award a license to an applicant that already has two or more licenses of the same type, or in the same license category.
Asked whether the large number of retail applications is a sign that many of the applicants are out-of-state companies or wealthy individuals, Comer said, “I think that’s certainly a possibility.”
“My hope is that there will be a variety of applicants and that there will not be domination or continued domination of the market by a few players,” Comer said.
In total, DCP had received 18,585 applications for the varying license types, from retailer to micro-cultivator, as of its weekly count Thursday morning.
“It’s terrific to see this level of engagement,” said Adam Wood, president of the CT Cannabis Chamber of Commerce.
After retail, the micro-cultivator license type was drawing the second-highest interest with 1,896 applications submitted so far. The deadline to submit applications for micro-cultivator licenses is next week.