Update: The Washington Liquor Control Board plans to issue the first 15 to 20 recreational marijuana licenses July 7, with shops allowed to open the next day if they’re ready. Story here
When Washington state hosts its first legal recreational marijuana sales on July 1, will there be enough supply for the demand?
Not likely.
Just as many Colorado pot shops limited the amount of cannabis each customer could buy in the early days of its legal sales in January, Washington stores will likely have to resort to the same tactics to ensure their limited inventory reaches as many customers as possible, according to one licensed pot shop owner. Why such a limited inventory? The government only allowed properly licensed shops to start growing their recreational plants — separate from their medical plants — in March.
More Washington weed news: Check in on our Washington archives for more on their marijuana scene
A King5 News reporter recently asked Spokane, Wash., dispensary owner Scott O’Neil, “How much product is going to be available on July 1?” O’Neil, owner of pot shop Kouchlock Productions — expected to start its recreational sales on July 1 — answered, “Not much. That’s all I can really say.”
For example, recreational marijuana customers in Washington might be limited to a single gram per purchase — or perhaps an eighth — until a shop’s inventory catches up to the demand.
And that’s not all Washington customers will have to expect: The King5 reporter also said Washington’s recreational prices are expected to top Colorado’s recreational prices.
