marijuana; dual licensees; rural communities

Added new section 36-2857.01 establishing the Rural Opportunity Initiative with specific requirements for applicants to obtain landowner consent and comply with local zoning restrictions.

Modified existing marijuana establishment licensing rules to include a cap of eighteen licenses under the rural opportunity initiative subdivision.

Added provisions allowing marijuana establishment licenses to be issued to entities serving unserved rural communities, with restrictions on relocating retail sites to only other unserved rural communities that haven't opted out.

Added requirements that rural opportunity initiative licensees operate only one retail location and one off-site cultivation location, with limited weekly operating hours for retail sites.

Established specific deadlines for the department to adopt rules (July 1, 2026), post opt-out forms (August 1, 2026), and publish lists of communities that opted out (October 1, 2026).

Added definition of 'unserved rural community' as cities, towns, or census-designated areas with populations under 50,000 that have at least one parcel of property at least 25 miles from a marijuana retail site.

Added provisions requiring landowner consent forms and prohibiting multiple landowner consent forms for the same property address under the rural opportunity initiative.