Arizona Marijuana Licensing

What License Types Exist in Arizona?

There are four cannabis license types in Arizona. The license types include:

Marijuana Establishment

The Marijuana Establishment license is issued to a dispensary to sell marijuana and marijuana products to adults who are at least 21 years old. In Arizona, licensed marijuana establishments can cultivate and process marijuana in commercial quantities. The Establishment license covers marijuana cultivation, manufacturing, and retail. In Arizona, licensees are expected to be vertically integrated marijuana businesses.

Medical Marijuana Dispensary

This license is issued to a dispensary to sell medical marijuana and medical marijuana products to qualified persons who possess medical marijuana identification cards issued in Arizona. It is referred to as a non-profit medical marijuana dispensary registration. A medical marijuana licensee may also possess a Marijuana Establishment license. In such a case, the entity is referred to as a dual licensee.

Social Equity Dispensary

This license is issued to an adult-use dispensary owned by persons affected by previous punitive marijuana laws in the state. Under the Arizona Social Equity Ownership Program, a minimum of 51% shares in the dispensary must be owned by persons who have been convicted or are closely related to persons convicted of marijauna-related crimes in Arizona. Under this program, there are 26 licensed dispensaries selected on April 8, 2022.

Testing

This license is issued to independent laboratories with national or international accreditation to analyze medical marijuana and medical marijuana products in the state. Marijuana laboratory licensees must not have any financial relationship or interest in a marijuana establishment or medical marijuana dispensary.