The state also was cited for maintaining “one of the nation’s largest pools of medical cannabis consumers.” As of May 18, it topped 343,600 patients, according to MPP.

"I'm quite disappointed that we've really seen no movement whatsoever at the federal level. I think that if Amazon were able to lend its political support to federal reform and fund state-level efforts, that would be a net positive for the cannabis reform movement in this country," said Matthew Schweich, MPP's deputy director.

"They’re closing off their borders to cannabis businesses and essentially just closing off their municipalities to the revenue that could be generated," said DeVaughn Ward, MPP's senior legislative counsel.

"I'm quite disappointed that we've really seen no movement whatsoever at the federal level. I think that if Amazon were able to lend its political support to federal reform and fund state level efforts, that would be a net positive for the cannabis reform movement in this country," said Matthew Schweich, MPP's deputy director.

A May report from the pro-legalization group the Marijuana Policy Project found that since Washington and Colorado became the first states to legalize recreational pot in 2014, states have collected a total of $7.9 billion in tax revenue from recreational sales alone.

The five-state Northeast region, which also includes Massachusetts and Vermont, is expected to generate an estimated $8.7 billion in cannabis-related sales by 2027, according to an analysis by the Marijuana Policy Project, a nonprofit that advocates for cannabis legalization, which used population and sales in Colorado and California as a comparative baseline.

MPP's Director of State Policies Karen O'Keefe is featured on the Montel Williams' podcast "Let's Be Blunt."

"Maryland is now lagging behind its neighbors in Virginia and D.C. on cannabis policy, and it is long past due that the state move forward with equitable legalization. Marylanders strongly support legalization, so it is encouraging to see the speaker commit to referring legalization to voters next year," said Olivia Naugle, MPP's legislative analyst.

"This year has shown us that state legislatures are capable of rising to the challenge to end cannabis prohibition," said Karen O'Keefe, MPP's director of state policies.

An op-ed from MPP Executive Director Steven Hawkins.