A district court judge in Montana granted a 60-day preliminary injunction Nov. 8 that blocks state cannabis regulators from collecting increased fees from dispensary owners who own multiple facilities.
Under House Bill 903, which Gov. Greg Gianforte signed in May, cannabis retail owners are to pay a fee that “increases cumulatively by $5,000 for each additional location under the same license.”
For instance, owners of two dispensaries would have to pay a $5,000 fee for the first store and $10,000 for the second store for a total annual fee of $15,000. A third store would be another $15,000, a fourth store would tack on $20,000 more, and so forth. So, each additional dispensary would be more expensive than the previous dispensary to license, instead of the flat $5,000 rate that preceded this new law.
Montana Department of Revenue
To the right is a reference table the state provided for the new licensing fee structure:
But attorneys for the plaintiffs—Granite Peak Holdings Inc. (d/b/a Elevated), TSB Montana LLC and MariMint LLC—are challenging the new fee structure via a lawsuit they filed in August, the Daily Montanan reported.
Currently, Granite Peak has two adult-use dispensaries, TSB Montana has four, and MariMint has five, according