A major cannabis regulator in “The Bay State” is planning to launch the state’s recreational weed market very soon indeed. This news comes just four months after the Massachusetts cannabis market launch was initially due on July 1. Although the launch date is slighted delayed, consumers will be pleased to learn that they can legally procure their pot in as little as two weeks.

The chairman of the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission, Steve Hoffman, disclosed information about the Massachusetts recreational cannabis market to the Boston Globe. He informed the publication of the state’s status on adult-use weed sales, saying that one testing laboratory is awaiting final approval, while licensed cannabis retailers gear up for their last inspections.

“We’re getting very close,” Hoffman said excitedly. “The labs have to be in business so the retailers can be in business. It will happen very quickly.”

Two particular cannabis stores in Massachusetts are ahead of the game: Northampton-based dispensary New England Treatment Access and Leicester-based dispensary Cultivate. Final licenses have been bestowed upon these bud-focused businesses, which must now wait in anticipation for the results of their final inspections.

Wareham-based cannabis dispensary Pharmacannis Massachusetts has also been granted a final license. The company runs a medical cannabis dispensary and it will now expand operations into the burgeoning recreational sector.

Bay Staters voted to legalized recreational cannabis in Massachusetts

Unfortunately, for the pro-cannabis crowd in Massachusetts, the wait for legal weed has been somewhat tedious. Voters took it upon themselves to legalized recreational cannabis in November of 2016. This is two years before the inauguration of the recreational market for cannabis in Massachusetts.

According to statistics gleaned from the Marijuana Business Factbook 2018, adult-use cannabis sales in the state are forecast to pull in anything from $150 million-$250 million in 2018. It’s important to note, however, that the estimates were based on the industry launching at the beginning of July 1. Of course, that didn’t happen and because of the holdup, the real figures are likely to be much lower.

Two years ago, Bay Staters passed a ballot initiative permitting cannabis consumption amongst individuals aged 21 and above. Then, in July of this year, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts claimed the number seven spot on the list of states that have permitted adult-use cannabis sales.

A total of 20 provisional retail sale licenses have since been issued by the Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) and a further two licenses to two adult-use retail establishments. However, recreational cannabis sales in Massachusetts have yet to begin. When they do, it is uncertain exactly how and if the state will reap the rewards of recreational cannabis legalization.

Legal cannabis in Massachusetts could earn the Bay State millions

The Massachusetts cannabis market is sure to yield sizeable returns for the state, which is home to some 6.8 million people. Of those people, as many as 14 percent regularly enjoy the green stuff, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

If the recreational cannabis market in Massachusetts is anything like Colorado, which has a smaller population than Massachusetts, adult-use sales could be pulling in as much as $1.56 billion an annual basis.