Top Maryland marijuana regulators say the state’s proactive strategy to legalize cannabis has enabled it to implement a balanced system that balances three important priorities: safety access and equity.
The state’s legalization legislation took effect on January 1st, and nearly 100 medical marijuana dispensaries had already been approved to serve adult consumers. Maryland retailers have sold more than $10 million in legal cannabis during the first weekend.
Andrew Garrison, MD Cannabis Administration (MCA), says the state was uniquely prepared for reform. The legislature formed a working group before voters approved a legalization referendum in November last year. Officials also took steps such as visiting Colorado dispensaries to contemplate their own regulatory framework.
Garrison, the chief of MCA’s Office of Policy & Government Affairs and the head of its Office of Policy & Government Affairs said that “a lot of thought went into the broader policy , when it was finally dropped” during an interview with the Rootwurks VS Strategies podcast Weed Wonks. He added that early work done by legislators enabled officials to launch a program in 82 days after the legislature enacted a cannabis regulation bill.
Garrison also emphasized the importance of making equity a “really important component of everything moving forward”. To this end, the Legalization Law created a new Office of Social Equity independent within MCA that would focus on it. Gov. Wes Moore , a Democrat, made the first set of appointments to this office on Monday.
To build equity in the market, existing dispensaries who want to serve adult customers will pay licensing conversion fees. These dollars will then be put into a fund for community reinvestment that is used to support applicants of new businesses in areas that were disproportionately affected by prohibition. Garrison estimates the state will raise about $60 million from conversion fees in order to achieve this goal.
He said that the first batch of marijuana licenses awarded in Maryland were reserved for applicants who met certain social equity criteria. “I think we can learn from other states’ experiences and build on them,” he added.
Maryland is a very diverse state. He said that there are a number of communities who have been subjected to disproportionate cannabis enforcement up until this point. “And we wanted to ensure that those who were getting early access to the market before social equity businesses came online–that they had paid their dues and that it went to the communities where we are the most disadvantaged,” he said.
The state also requires that retailers promote equity further by stocking at least 25% of their shelves with cannabis products that come from companies owned by equity licensees.
He explained. The supply chain continues up and down the line.
The state Department of Commerce announced last week it would be accepting applications for 40 million dollars in grant funding from social equity applicants, with pre-approval beginning August 1.
The same fund has been used to provide grants to existing medical marijuana businesses to convert them into dual-licensed companies that can service the adult market.
Maryland’s legalization of adult-use cannabis was based on a number of factors, including patient access. This ensures that patients who have been part the state’s medical cannabis program will not lose their access to medication after the launch.
Retailers can choose between two options: either they can set aside specific hours each day for patients or they can create “fast-lanes” in their stores, where only patients are allowed to use the registers.
“This is a fascinating piece that Maryland also does is, you’re aware, while patient accessibility is really at the forefront, supply chain says the same,” said he. “We don’t have medical plants and adult use plants. “It’s all about the point of purchase.”
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Garrison said that while regulators are monitoring the first month of recreational cannabis sales, officials are actively working on “cleanup bills” to adjust the regulations. He expects the legislature will take up this bill during the next session.
MCA will hold what they call “limited townhalls” in the late summer and early autumn with stakeholders, including dispensaries and growers, to develop permanent regulation. The public will be able to comment on the draft rules once they are published.
A separate Maryland law took effect in this month which prohibits police officers from searching based solely on the smell or possession of marijuana. Another law which came into effect prohibits state officials from construing the responsible and lawful use of cannabis by parents or guardians as “neglect.”
The government of Luxembourg has announced that the legalization of marijuana in Luxembourg will take effect this week
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