No, it took the state this long to approve the licenses. Applications were submitted months ago (about 6 months). First applications go to those who were more affected by the war on drugs ie people arrested with low level possession charges. On top of the application there was a high fee to submit it. Not about greasing palms, it was about getting the system set up before they can approve/deny applications. Cannabis law takes some tome to establish from the ground up.

And the state let the "free market" flourish while they turned a mostly blind eye to all of the shops that have been selling flower, clones, dabs, edibles, only shutting down the most egregious of grey market vendors.

Hate on the state all you want, one thing they did right is their cannabis laws for home growers.