First licensing application round for social equity applicants will open November 13

The Maryland Cannabis Administration (MCA) has announced that the first application round for new cannabis business licenses will open on November 13. This licensing round is exclusively for verified social equity applicants.

Prospective applicants must verify themselves as a social equity applicant prior to the application period. More information on the verification process can be found on the MCA’s website here. The portal will close on November 7.

The application round will be open for 30 days, from November 13 to December 12. Any applicant who meets the minimum requirements for licensure, on a pass-fail basis, will be placed in a randomized lottery based on license type (grower, processor, or dispensary) and county or region for which the application was submitted. The MCA will begin conducting the lottery by January 1, 2024.

You can check out our full summary of Maryland’s law to implement their adult-use program here and learn more about the program by visiting the Maryland Cannabis Administration’s FAQs.

Maryland: the 20^th state to legalize cannabis

On November 8, 2022, 67.2% of Maryland voters approved Question 4 —  a legislatively referred ballot question to legalize cannabis for adults 21 and over. The passage of Question 4 was the highest margin of any ballot measure to legalize cannabis.

On July 1, 2023, legalization officially went into effect.  Adults can legally possess up to 1.5 ounces of cannabis and cultivate up to two plants. A summary of Question 4, and the companion bill (HB 837) implementing it, is available here. 

During the 2023 legislative session, the Maryland General Assembly passed twin bills (HB 556/ SB 516) that implement an adult-use cannabis market in Maryland. On May 4, 2023, Governor Wes Moore (D) signed the legislation into law. Existing medical dispensaries began sales to adult-use consumers on July 1, 2023. The state recorded $87 million in cannabis sales in the first month of legal sales.

In addition to the omnibus implementation bill, the legislature also passed HB 1071 in 2023 — which provides the odor of cannabis alone is not grounds for a search and reduces the penalty for public smoking from $250 fine to a $50 fine for a first offense. Governor Moore let the bill become law without his signature on May 19, and it went into effect on July 1, 2023.

Make sure you plug into the Maryland Cannabis Policy Coalition for updates.

There’s More Work to Be Done

MPP leads the Maryland Cannabis Policy Coalition, which for years has been advocating for equitable legalization. This advocacy spurred Maryland state lawmakers to refer Question 4 to the 2022 ballot and pass the companion bill to set up the initial steps for legalization. MPP also played an instrumental role in assisting the Yes on 4 campaign to ensure Question 4’s success, and we’ve been a consistent voice to ensure equity is at the heart of legalization, from an equitable industry to criminal justice reforms and community reinvestment.

While we’re thrilled by Maryland’s progress toward humane cannabis policies, there is still work to be done — including improving expungement provisions, employment and other non-discrimination protections, and preventing parole, probation, and pre-trial release from being revoked based on cannabis.

Legalization takes effect; existing dispensaries begin adult-use sales

On November 8, 2022, 67.2% of Maryland voters approved Question 4 —  a legislatively referred ballot question to legalize cannabis for adults 21 and over. The passage of Question 4 was the highest margin of any ballot measure to legalize cannabis.

On July 1, 2023, legalization officially went into effect.  Adults can legally possess up to 1.5 ounces of cannabis and cultivate up to two plants. A summary of Question 4, and the companion bill (HB 837) implementing it, is available here. 

During the 2023 legislative session, the Maryland General Assembly passed twin bills (HB 556/ SB 516) that implement an adult-use cannabis market in Maryland. On May 4, 2023, Governor Wes Moore (D) signed the legislation into law. Existing medical dispensaries began sales to adult-consumers on July 1, 2023. The state recorded $87 million in cannabis sales in the first month of legal sales.

In addition to the omnibus implementation bill, the legislature also passed HB 1071 in 2023 — which provides the odor of cannabis alone is not grounds for a search and reduces the penalty for public smoking from $250 fine to a $50 fine for a first offense. Governor Moore let the bill become law without his signature on May 19, and it went into effect on July 1, 2023.

Make sure you plug into the Maryland Cannabis Policy Coalition for updates.

There’s More Work to Be Done

MPP leads the Maryland Cannabis Policy Coalition, which for years has been advocating for equitable legalization. This advocacy spurred Maryland state lawmakers to refer Question 4 to the 2022 ballot and pass the companion bill to set up the initial steps for legalization. MPP also played an instrumental role in assisting the Yes on 4 campaign to ensure Question 4’s success, and we’ve been a consistent voice to ensure equity is at the heart of legalization, from an equitable industry to criminal justice reforms and community reinvestment.

While we’re thrilled by Maryland’s progress toward humane cannabis policies, there is still work to be done — including improving expungement provisions, employment and other non-discrimination protections, and preventing parole, probation, and pre-trial release from being revoked based on cannabis.

Legislature overrides governor's veto to shield past cannabis convictions

Just before the legislature adjourned its shortened 2020 session, lawmakers approved a bill — HB 83 — to automatically shield past cannabis charges occurring before October 1, 2014 in which possession was the only charge in the case. Sadly, former Gov. Larry Hogan vetoed the legislation.

However, the legislature overrode Gov. Hogan’s veto during the 2021 session, and the bill became law on February 12, 2021.

HB 83 shields nearly 200,000 past cannabis possession charges from public view on the Judiciary’s “Case Search” website. Unfortunately, this is not a full record expungement. However, the 2022 legalization companion bill (HB 837/SB 833) included automatic expungement for possession offenses where they were the only charge, which must occur by July 2024.

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