Make Your Pipe Dream a Reality: How to Obtain a Cannabis License

Are you dreaming of launching a cannabis business in your state but you’re not sure where to start? Are you in the midst of a complex licensing effort and feeling overwhelmed, drowning in the details and minutia? Are you in a competitive cannabis licensing state and concerned you will fail before you even open the doors of your operation? Whether you answered yes to any of these questions or you’re just curious about what it takes to get a cannabis license, this is the article for you!

While we’ll be sharing some licensing tips and tricks in this article, we can’t offer shortcuts to make the licensing process easy. The fact is: applying for and obtaining a cannabis license is difficult. It takes time, money, and an insane amount of attention to detail. It requires forethought and preparation. 

The cannabis licensing process is intimidating! You need to author a detailed business plan, in-depth operating plans and SOPs, dive into complex tax implications and financial planning, gather seed money, plan your organizational structure, find access to banking, and so much more. The cost of entry into the cannabis industry and the daunting list of requirements keep so many potential operators from entering the legal market. 

A license can cost between $5,000 and $100,000 a year, and that doesn’t even include start-up costs and facility and equipment investments. Don’t roll the dice on your investment; leverage licensing experts like RMCC.

Say you're in one of the several states that legalized medical and/or adult-use cannabis in this past election cycle such as New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, New Mexico, Arizona, and South Dakota. What should you be doing while you wait for the regulatory agency in your state to form and issue rules and regulations? Here are a few things you can add to your to do list now that can make your life a little easier during the application process: 

• RESEARCH APPLICATION PROCESSES IN NEARBY LOCATIONS: Waiting for rules and regulations? Consider researching the application process in nearby locations with more mature cannabis industries. As someone who lives and breathes cannabis regulations from across the nation, there is a certain amount of “respectful reuse” of regulatory language. What works in mature markets such as Colorado, Michigan, and California is likely to be replicated in another.

• BUSINESS PLAN:  Get started on your business plan. This is much more involved than declaring that you want to grow, process, distribute or dispense cannabis. Developing your business plan will allow you to develop your financial model. The cost of running a compliant operation is often much more than expected. Local and state jurisdictions will want to see proof that the licensed business can last and be a positive addition to the community.

• SECURE PROPERTY: Even if your particular state does not have license caps, real estate zoning can vastly limit the availability of cannabis real estate and make your state's licensing process extremely competitive. Regardless of whether you intend to buy or lease, you will be required to show proof of your legal right to occupy and use an appropriately zoned property.

• SOPs AND OPERATING PLANS: While we absolutely love SOPs and operating plans, most people don’t find spending hundreds of hours authoring these types of documents to be a fun time. Whether you’re willing and able to write these on your own or you’d rather work with a licensing consultant such as RMCC, you will need operating plans such as the following for your application as well as your operation:

  • Inventory Control Plan

  • Waste Management Plan

  • Pest Management Plan

  • Transportation Plan

  • Quality Control Plan

  • Security Plan

  • Cultivation Plan

• PREMISE AND PROPERTY DIAGRAMS: You will need to identify all of the components of your cannabis operation on both your property as well as the premises. You can leverage existing diagrams from landlords or previous owners. If you’re not able to find any existing diagrams, creating this documentation could prove expensive and time consuming. Your premise diagram and property diagram will also need to align with your Surveillance and Security Plan.

Cannabis industry licensing can be incredibly tough but it’s not impossible. You don’t have to weather the grueling licensing process alone. RMCC has helped clients across the country gain cannabis industry licensure and realize their dream of business ownership in the cannabis industry. We offer a wide range of licensing services from licensing consultation packages (5 hours of licensing consultation, regional compliance digest, and security plan template) to in-depth local and state-level licensing project management and everything in between. We can customize our cannabis business licensing packages to your specific needs and budget and get you started with compliant operational workflows from day 1. 

With over a decade of experience authoring operating plans and SOPs and a combined 30+ years of experience in the cannabis industry, RMCC has the proven experience and know-how to ensure your cannabis license application stands the best possible chance during the review process and to support your operation throughout the life of your business. While RMCC has a proven track record of getting cannabis operators back on track with training, compliant workflows, and detailed inventory auditing, it’s a true honor to start cannabis entrepreneurs on the road to success from initial licensing and beyond.

Join the growing number of cannabis entrepreneurs RMCC has assisted in their licensing journey. Make that pipe dream a reality by completing the Pre-Licensure Package Opt-in Form, reaching out to info@rmcc.io for more information, visiting rmcc.io and training.rmcc.io, and checking out the Compliance Marketplace. 

Looking for a licensing consultation? Book time with Lindsey Kincade, RMCC’s Chief Compliance Officer.