OpenGov Cloud >> Citizen Services >> Cannabis Licensing
Cannabis Licensing
Leverage OpenGov’s modern cloud software to simplify cannabis licensing
As of November 2020, thirty-five states in the U.S. and Washington, D.C. have legalized medical marijuana, and fifteen states and Washington, D.C. have legalized recreational marijuana.
How does this impact your community?
Manage Cannabis Regulation in Your Community with OpenGov
Encourage Community Involvement
Use civic engagement surveys through OpenGov Town Hall to gather the environmental, public safety, and equity concerns of your constituents.
Track Industry from Seed-to-Sale
Monitor all stages from production to distribution in one platform by initiating background checks, reviewing required documents, and scheduling inspections online with OpenGov.
Map Zoning Laws
Evaluate conditional land use permits to regulate the density of cannabis establishments or their proximity to schools or drug rehabilitation facilities.
Report and Iterate on the Process
Start simple, be transparent, and then expand. Create a public dashboard on the metrics most valuable to your community and use data to identify areas of improvement.
Plan Tax Structure
Issue licenses through OpenGov and collect fees, which may differ by calculation (flat or a percentage) or by business type such as medical vs. commercial or MWBE-owned.
Continue Compliance Research
Understand regulatory trends with Fyllo CannaRegs, an OpenGov partner, and determine what licensing, planning and zoning, and taxation operations are appropriate for your community.
ONLINE COMMUNITY FORUMS
Encourage Involvement
Leverage the leading online citizen engagement platform OpenGov Town Hall to improve civic participation and allow constituents to share their opinions about cannabis regulation. Discuss zoning laws, tax structures, and creative programs such as specialty loans or priority licensing for formerly incarcerated entrepreneurs.
Analyze results to gain insights
DECIDE WHERE TO PERMIT SPECIAL BUSINESSES
Map Zoning Laws
Create zoning buffers to regulate the location of cannabis establishments
Similar to liquor stores, your community may consider controlling the location of cannabis businesses by changing their zoning laws. Enforce these new zoning laws by incorporating them into the process of approving and renewing business licenses.
COLLECT ADDITIONAL REVENUE
Plan Tax Structure
For communities considering cannabis as an alternative revenue source, two common tax base structures are the percentage of gross receipts for businesses like retail, and a dollar amount per square foot for cultivation. It’s also important to have a system for accepting payment by cash, as some businesses are not currently able to work with federal banks.
Collect fees for cannabis regulation permits online
DIGITAL LICENSE APPLICATIONS
Track from Seed-to-Sale
Both applicants and government staff can check the status of pending applications
Knowing the stages of marijuana moving from production to distribution is critical for effective regulation. A single cloud solution with a centralized database of licensing operations allows inspectors to enter data digitally from the field and program managers to easily report on the number of businesses established as well as the total amount of fees received.
SHARE RESULTS AND TRACK PROGRESS
Report and Iterate
Start simple, be transparent, then expand. A rolling window for accepting applications can help promote efficient processing & turnaround by balancing the workload of government employees. Further, keep the conversation going with your community by reporting back on metrics that matter most to them.
Share the number of cannabis establishments approved and revenue collected
FOLLOW REGULATION TRENDS
Continue Compliance
Fyllo CannaRegs unifies and automates cannabis regulatory research
Since March 2020, Fyllo, an OpenGov partner, has reported a 55% increase in the number of local government meetings about marijuana regulation across the U.S. Further, Fyllo detected about 120 announcements by 45 jurisdictions across the U.S. with cannabis licenses pending.
Request a demo today.
