Many patients believe medical cannabis should not be subject to taxation, because paying taxes on medicine can pose a hardship. The financial burden is compounded by the fact that medical cannabis is not covered by insurance. While sales taxes generally do not apply to prescription medications, most states’ sales taxes apply to cannabis, because it cannot be prescribed due to federal law. Instead, it is recommended by doctors, or patients receive “certifications.”
In addition to tax revenue, in most or all states with regulated dispensaries, the application and registration fees levied on medical cannabis businesses cover or exceed regulatory costs. Nonrefundable dispensary application fees generally range from $1,000 to $5,000, with registration or annual fees typically between $5,000 and $20,000. While medical cannabis business fees should not be so low that they encourage frivolous applications, it is important that they are not prohibitively high. Costs may be passed on to patients, who are already struggling.
Application fee for cultivation facilities: $15,000
License and renewal fee for cultivation facilities: $100,000
License fee for dispensaries: $15,000
Renewal fee for dispensaries: $22,500
Application fee for testing labs, distributors, and retailers: $1,000
Annual license fee for testing labs: $3,000 - $112,000
Annual license fee for distributors: $1,500 - $240,000
Annual license fee for retailers: $2,500 - $96,000
Note: For the license classes above, fees vary based on gross revenue of business.
Application fee for cultivators: $135 - $8,655
Annual license fee for cultivators: $1,205 - $77,905
Note: For cultivators, fees vary based on size and type of operation.
Applications: $6,000 to $14,000 for medical marijuana centers; $1,000 for infused product manufacturers
Registrations: $3,000 to $11,000 for centers; $2,200 for infused product manufacturers
Renewals: $3,300 to $11,300 for centers; $2,500 for infused product manufacturers
Applications: $1,000 for dispensaries; $25,000 for producers
Permit and annual renewal fees: $5,000 for dispensaries; $75,000 for producers
$5,000 compassion center application fee
$40,000 certification and biennial renewal fee
Application fee for dispensing organizations (which may cultivate, process, and dispense): $60,063
License renewal fee: $60,063 renewal fee biennially
Application fee: $5,000
Initial license fee: $75,000
License renewal fee: $50,000
Testing facility certification fee: $3,000
Testing facility certification renewal fee: $3,000
Applications: $5,000 for dispensary centers; $25,000 for cultivation centers
License fees: $30,000 per dispensary; $200,000 per cultivation center
Annual renewal fees: $25,000 per dispensary; $100,000 per cultivation center
Medical marijuana pharmacy application fees: $450 total (new pharmacy fee, CDS permit fee, prescription monitoring fee, and administrative hearing fee)
Cultivator fees: $100,000 annually for the license, $100 annually for the license, plus up to 7% of gross sales
$15,000 application fee, $14,000 refunded to applicants that aren’t chosen; $15,000 renewal fee
Application fees (in two stages): for growers and for processors $6,000; for growers/dispensaries: $11,000; for dispensaries only: $5,000
Annual license fees: for growers: $125,000; for dispensaries/growers: $165,000; for processors: $40,000; for dispensaries: $40,000
$1,500 stage 1 application fee;
$30,000 stage 2 application fee;
$50,000/year license registration fee
Application fee: $6,000
Annual regulatory assessment fee: $10,000-$66,000
$20,000 manufacturer application fee; the annual fee is expected to be between $75,000 and $100,000
Cultivation facilities application fee: $10,000 Cultivation facilities annual fee: $25,000
Dispensary facilities application fee: $6,000
Dispensary facilities annual fee: $10,000
Manufacturing facilities application fee: $6,000 Manufacturing facilities annual fee: $10,000
Dispensary license: $500
Provider license fees (based on number of patients served):
1-10 patients: $1,000
11-50 patients: $2,500
50 + patients: $5,000
$5,000 medical marijuana establishment application fee
$3,000 cultivation facility certification fee
$3,000 edible marijuana products or marijuana-infused product establishment certification fee
$5,000 independent testing laboratory certification fee
$30,000 medical marijuana dispensary certification fee
$3,000 request for application fee
Annual registration: $80,000 or $40,000 (payable in stages), depending on the center’s geographic area
$20,000 dispensary fee each year, $2,000 for unsuccessful applicants
$1,000 application fee for producers, annual producer fee from $5,000 to $30,000
$10,000 application fee; $200,000 registration fee for two-year registration period
$5,000 non-refundable application fee; $25,000 licensing fee
Cultivator Level I application fee: $20,000
Cultivator Level I initial license fee: $180,000
Cultivator Level I renewal fee: $200,000
Cultivator Level II application fee: $2,000
Cultivator Level II initial license fee: $18,000
Cultivator Level II renewal fee: $20,000
Processor application fee: $10,000
Processor initial license fee: $90,000
Processor renewal fee: $100,000
Dispensary application fee: $5,000
Dispensary biennial license fee: $70,000
Testing lab application fee: $2,000
Testing lab initial license fee: $18,000
Testing lab renewal fee: $20,000
Application fee: $2,500
$250 application fee; $1,000/year license fee
Applications: $5,000 non-refundable fee for dispensaries; $10,000 for growers/processors
Licenses: $30,000 for each dispensary location (with a $5,000 renewal); $200,000 for grower/processors ($10,000 renewal)
$250 application fee; $500,000 annual registration fee
Fees to be determined by the Department of Health. Measure 26 states that application fees for medical cannabis establishments may not exceed $5,000 (adjusted annually for inflation).
$50,000 to $69,500 depending on if it is urban, rural, or home delivery.
$2,500 application fee
$20,000 or $30,000 annual fee
$10,000 application fee
$60,000 initial permit fee
$10,000 annual renewal fee
Producer application fee: $250
Producer annual fee: $1,480
Processor application fee: $250
Processor annual fee: $1,480
Retailer application fee: $250
Retailer annual fee: $1,480
Note: Fees are for adult-use licenses; to be a medical marijuana business, an entity must have an adult-use license and apply for a medical marijuana endorsement.
Grower and processor application and registration fee: $55,000 ($50,000 is refunded if the application is denied)
Dispensary application and registration fee: $12,500 ($10,000 is refunded if the application is denied)