The Maryland cannabis space is heating up in a few different ways thanks to some unfortunate controversy as well as the latest fistful of new dispensaries being officially approved.
The good news is that the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission is closer than ever to awarding final licensing to all 102 dispensaries that were initially approved in November 2016.
Just this summer they've gone from about 50 to 70), so hopefully by the end of 2018,
close to 75% of the preapproved retail licenses will be up and running to serve
the nearly 50,000 Maryland MMJ patients registered. At an issuance rate of about six licenses per
month, all 102 could theoretically be open for business by early 2019.
In additional to dispensary license preapproval, cultivators and processors have each received about 25 green lights each, more than half of which are in operation supplying the retail outlets. A delicate balance certainly, but at least Maryland is moving forward with some momentum again to lead the mid-Atlantic region.
In not-so-nice news, a major producer has been accused of using illegal pesticides on cannabis that was harvested, sold and consumed by patients as recently as early 2018. Cannabis is highly susceptible to powdery mildew, spider mites and other pests, but the highly-toxic residual effects of pesticides and the ban of their use is a hotly contested issue amongst cultivators nationwide.
