First legal marijuana licenses to be issued in Olympia

The legal marijuana industry in Washington will reach a big milestone Wednesday.

“We’ll be issuing the first recreational marijuana license in Washington state,” said Brian Smith with the Washington State Liquor Control Board.

The Liquor Control Board said it will grant the pot-growing license at its meeting in Olympia on Wednesday.

Smith said the first licenses are “ceremonial” – two licenses, one for producing and one for processing, will go to one person.

Smith isn’t disclosing who that person is but he said the state will be issuing many more licenses over the next few months on an ongoing basis.

As for the rest of the roll out for legal marijuana, Smith said they’re right on schedule.

The state expects to open the first pot store in June but will have to hold a lottery because they received more applications than spots available.