Guam medical marijuana sales could begin this summer

Regulators in Guam have received at least 40 applications for medical cannabis business licenses since the application process opened Wednesday (Tuesday in U.S.).

An official predicted MMJ sales could start as soon as summer for certain medical qualifying conditions, the Pacific Daily News reported.

Though most of the license applications have been for commercial cultivation, permits also are available for dispensaries, commercial manufacturing and testing labs, a Department of Health and Social Services spokesman told the newspaper. The maximum number of licenses to be granted is unclear.

There are three cultivation licenses: Type 1 for grows under 2,500 square feet, Type 2 for grows between 2,500 and 5,000 square feet, and Type 3 for grows exceeding 5,000 square feet. The application fees are $2,000, $5,000 and $10,000, respectively.

The other fees are $5,000 for a dispensary license, $5,000 for manufacturing and $2,000 for a testing lab.

The medical cannabis program will be administered by a Bureau of Alternative Medicine, but because the new entity doesn’t yet have paid employees, it is being staffed by volunteers, according to the Pacific Daily News.

The law states that businesses must be at least 51% owned by legal Guam residents who have lived in the territory for at least three years.