Marijuana Business Factbook 2019

179 © Copyright 2020, Marijuana Business Daily , a division of Anne Holland Ventures Inc. You may NOT copy this Factbook, or make public the data and facts contained herein, in part or in whole. For more copies or editorial permissions, contact CustomerService@MJBizDaily.com or call (720) 213-5992, ext. 1. State-By-State: Legal Overview, Market Data and Outlook | Chapter 2 MJBIZDAILY.COM SUMMARY What to watch in 2020 Medical marijuana sales in West Virginia were slated to begin in mid-2019, but legislative back-and-forth has stalled that launch until 2021 or 2022, primarily because of a lack of banking services in the state. West Virginia also says it needs more time to property staff the program, implement the rules and register medical providers and patients. The delay could eventually make West Virginia, which passed medical cannabis legislation in April 2017, the slowest state in the country to allow MMJ companies to open for business. Marijuana Business Opportunity Rank for 2020 C West Virginia’s medical marijuana market remains an open question for entrepreneurs. While the state is limiting the number of licenses it will award, those limits aren’t unreasonably low relative to other MMJ programs in the nation. However, bans on smokable flower and edibles— the leading sales drivers in other markets—will likely keep patient counts from reaching their full potential. It’s possible the state could open the license application process in 2020, but that is far from a certainty. And MMJ sales are at least another year away—possibly two—so business opportunities will be limited in the short term.