A total of 13 new adult-use cannabis retail licenses have been awarded by the Arizona Department of Health Services. Distributed among eight rural counties, the licenses indicate that the recreational cannabis market is continuously expanding.

Listed below are the localities and names of the establishments that managed to bag an adult-use cannabis retail license in Arizona:

• Clifton: Greenlee County on 101010 Management and Sonoran Flower 
• La Paz County: AGI Management, FJM Group and Quartzsite 
• Apache County: Apache County Dispensary, Springerville and Springerville Smoke
• Santa Cruz County: Cactus Bloom Facilities Management, Tubac, MK Associates
• Cochise County: Formula 420 Cannabis, Douglas
• Gila County: Gila Dreams X, Payson. Lawrence Health Services, Globe.
• Graham County: Piper’s Shop, Safford.
• Yuma County: Yuma County Dispensary, in San Luis.

Close to 400 applicants forked out $25,000 each to compete for one of the 13 available licenses, of which were distributed around rural parts of the city. An additional 26 adult-use cannabis retail licenses are expected to be dished out as part of Arizona’s social equity program.

Arizona’s adult-use market launched in January

Just under three months after Arizona’s regulated adult-use cannabis market was approved by voters, the state’s recreational cannabis market officially launched. 

The passage of Proposition 207 led to the legalization of Arizona’s adult-use cannabis market. More than 60 percent of voters approved the measure, resulting in recreational cannabis use being decriminalized among individuals age 21 and older. 

In addition to this, recreational cannabis possession was also decriminalized under Arizona’s cannabis law, which enables nonviolent cannabis offenders to have their criminal records wiped clean. An excise tax is imposed on adult-use cannabis sales as a means of supporting underfunded programs statewide.

Boosting plans to enter adult-use cannabis market in Arizona

For quite some time now, the vast majority of Arizona’s cannabis dispensaries have started getting ready for the introduction of an adult-use market.

Back on January 22, the Arizona Department of Health Services approved licensed dispensaries to start serving the consumer demographic with recreational cannabis, in addition to other types of psychotropic cannabis products, like Delta-8 gummies.

Over the course of the next year, a whopping $166 million is expected to be generated in annual revenue; the outcome of tax and licensing fees being implemented. The Arizona Department of Health Services will bag the initial $19 million, whereas $15 million will be designated for the Arizona Teachers Academy Fund and $10 million for the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety.

Social justice is expected to be influenced greatly by the passing of Proposition 207. Since the plant has officially been decriminalized, people will no longer be prosecuted if they are caught with less than one ounce of cannabis in Arizona.