These marijuana dispensaries and delivery businesses are top contenders for licenses in Chula Vista

The city of Chula Vista is one step closer to creating a legal marijuana market, with the list of dispensaries and delivery businesses that applied for a license to operate whittled down from nearly 100 to 39 top contenders.

Still ongoing is a review of applications for marijuana cultivation, distribution, manufacturing and testing licenses. The city received a total of 136 applications in January, including 84 from dispensaries and 11 from delivery companies.

The city’s regulations permit up to two dispensaries and one delivery business in each of the city’s four districts.

A consultant created a list of top contenders that narrowed down the number of applicants to 34 dispensaries and five delivery business, though the city has not disqualified any applicants. The list was whittled down using a scoring system during a process that included a review of applications and a round of interviews.

The list of top contenders includes one applicant for a delivery business license in each of the city’s districts, with the exception of district two, which covers northwestern Chula Vista.

Emerging as top-scoring dispensaries and delivery companies were Grasshopper Cannabis Delivery, Chula Vista Cannabis, March and Ash Nirvana and Element 7 Chula Vista. Other top-scoring businesses include UL Chula Two, Vista Property Holding, Southern Erudite Ventures and Harvest Chula Vista.

The complete ranking can be found on the city’s website.

Now underway is a second round of background checks, led by the Chula Vista Police Department.

After the background checks are completed, businesses with the highest scores will move on to a second phase, in which the applicants will be asked to share details about their planned operations, including site plans and security plans.

A timeline for the second phase was not available.

The marijuana market in Chula Vista, the second-largest city in the county, could become the largest in the region. In addition to dispensaries and delivery companies, the city’s regulations allow up to 10 cultivation facilities and an unlimited number of distribution, manufacturing and testing companies.

The city expects to collect about $6 million in marijuana tax revenue a year, with the tax rate set at 7 percent of gross receipts for almost all types of marijuana businesses.