Cannabis retailer

Cannabis retailer is the formal statutory term used in most state codes for a business licensed to sell cannabis directly to consumers. It distinguishes the precise license classification from the colloquial "dispensary." In California under MAUCRSA, the Department of Cannabis Control issues a Type 10 Retailer license (storefront) with a non-storefront delivery variant. Nevada's Cannabis Compliance Board stopped renewing standalone medical licenses effective January 1, 2024; medical dispensaries now automatically convert to adult-use retailers unless in an opt-out jurisdiction. Washington (WSLCB), Colorado (MED "Retail Marijuana Store"), Oregon (OLCC), Massachusetts (CCC "Marijuana Retailer"), and New York (OCM "Retail Dispensary") all use variants of "retailer" in statute. The term is favored in legislation because it parallels alcohol-licensing nomenclature and avoids the pharmaceutical connotation of "dispensary." Retailers are regulated distinctly from cultivators, manufacturers, distributors, and testing laboratories. → See also: Dispensary, License, Delivery