Medford, Ore.- Over 1600 marijuana retail permits have been approved in the state of Oregon within the last year. However, there’s a hefty backlog for retailers still hoping to get their permits and that backlog is impacting local businesses.
One local marijuana retailer waiting on its’ OLCC license- Pharm to Table. The store submitted an application in June for an OLCC license to open a second store near Central Point. Now, five months later that application is still pending.
The first time they applied, Pharm to Table says the process was much quicker, taking less than two months. But now they say it has been five months and they’ve yet to be assigned an investigator to start the process.
OLCC advises marijuana retailers that the process can be long, even if it goes smoothly. And that doesn’t help Pharm to Table. In fact, it has caused them to take a financial hit.
“We’ve been paying rent on it since April. So we’ve paid well over $20,000 in rent on this facility,” Pharm to Table General Manager Crystal Plotner says.
Plotner went on to tell NBC5 News that while she understands that the marijuana licensing process is still relatively new, she hopes that OLCC can pick up the pace.
“I would love to see them hire more people and get through these applications quicker.”
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