With less than eight months before Washington medical-marijuana businesses must join the state-sanctioned market or shut down, retailers are jumping on the bandwagon, while manufacturers worry about being left behind.

The state Liquor and Cannabis Board said 962 applicants are seeking a retail license.

The question is how many licenses to hand out. That will depend on a soon-to-arrive report from consultants researching market demand for marijuana.

That leaves applicants like Tacoma Holistic Collective on Sixth Avenue waiting to learn if they will shut down or survive with tight requirements for security, packaging and tracing of their products. “I don’t mind jumping through some more hoops on the back end,” THC general manager Kevin Heiderich said.

If he has to close, well, his employees will be in demand at other companies, and he’s landed on his feet before. “I’ve closed down three businesses from software to cannabis before, just trying to stick it out,” Heiderich said. [Read more at The Olympian]