IN the past two months, the CNMI government collected $21,500 in application fees, the CNMI Cannabis Commission chairwoman informed the House of Representatives on Thursday.
Nadine Deleon Guerrero
It was the House Commerce and Tourism Committee, chaired by Rep. Denita Yangetmai, that asked the cannabis commissioners to provide the 22nd House members and the public an update about the CNMI’s newest industry.
Cannabis Commission Chairwoman Nadine Deleon Guerrero, in a slide presentation, informed lawmakers that last week, the commission collected a $750 fee for the first Marijuana Producer Class 2 application.
For Class 3 application fee, which costs $1,000 apiece, the commission has already collected $6,000 from six different applicants, Deleon Guerrero said.
In addition, the commission has collected $1,000 in marijuana processor fee; $250 wholesaler license fee; and a total of $6,000 in retailer fees from six different applicants.
For Lounge Class 1, the commission collected a total of $3,000 from two different applicants, and $1,500 from a Lounge Class 2 license applicant.
Deleon Guerrero said the total collection as of Feb. 18 was $21,500.
If all the pending applications are approved this month, she said the commission projects to collect a total of $101,700.
This amount does not include the zoning permitting fees and the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. fees, which Deleon Guerrero said are very important information.
She told the committee that the new industry looks promising, but the commissioners “do not by any means claim” that the industry will be the savior of the economy, she said. However, the cannabis industry will certainly play an active role in reviving the CNMI economy, Deleon Guerrero added.
Variety was told that some of the commercial cannabis growers and retailers who already got their zoning and other permits have begun constructing their farms and stores, and are expected to create “a good number” of jobs for locals.
