Maryland finally seems ready to start dispensing medical marijuana.
After years of false starts and bureaucratic delays, patients may finally be able to access relief in Maryland. Authorities have given the green light to eight new medical marijuana grow operations.
Before this week, only one company had previously been approved.
“Now, we have a real industry,” said Cary Millstein, CEO of newly licensed grower Freestate Wellness in Howard County told the Baltimore Sun.
Companies have been working hard to ready themselves for distribution. Curio Wellness, has been waiting for several months to receive final approval for their license.
“As with any start up industry, you’re bound to have bumps in the road,” Curio CEO Michael Bronfein said.
While the program has taken its time to get up and running, patients, unfortunately, have had to wait on the sidelines. There are 12,000 residents in Maryland who have registered to be recipients of medical marijuana and 400 medical providers have signed on to issue recommendations.
Mayland’s medical marijuana industry is expected to be worth approximately $221 million annually by 2021 according to New Frontier, a data firm for the marijuana industry.
The momentum for medical marijuana reform has been building for years, but really seems to be taking off as of late. There are already 29 states (including Maryland) that have legalized the use of medical marijuana. In a recent poll, CBS found that approximately 90 percent of Americans support medical marijuana.
