The Vermont Cannabis Control Board has put emergency rules into effect to continue legal sales in the state.
Board members met this week to vote on those and other rules, and to discuss their social equity policies and background check procedures.
Pepper, board chairperson, started the meeting by discussing the prequalification process for cannabis retailers. That process started Wednesday and Pepper made it clear that this voluntary process is not required for licensure.
“The purpose of prequalification is to smooth the application process for applicants, and to assist the board in anticipating the structure of the market,” according to the board website.
Prequalification is an extra step that requires a $500 nonrefundable fee, fingerprint submission, and it will not give the applicant authority to start selling cannabis. When it’s time for the final application, the $500 will be applied to the final application fee.
The board cannot collect any fees. Applicants can submit the prequalification application now, and the board will contact applicants to collect fees before the prequalification is issued.
“I think we’ve been operating under the assumption that prequalification is essentially just for getting information,” said David Scherr, the board’s general counsel.
The board is aiming to use the information from these applications to help guide it through the rest of the retail application process.
The board unanimously voted to adopt two rules, one that dictates licensing for cannabis establishments and another that states the regulation of said establishments.
