Maryland: Market and legal data analysis of the cannabis sector

26th April 2024: US - Maryland: House Bill (HB) 253 has been signed by the governor and will amend the Cannabis Reform Act. HB 253 will clarify the possession limits for qualifying patients, restricting them to the amount of medical cannabis authorised in their written certification. The bill will authorise processors to supply cannabis to licensees and independent testing labs, while increasing annual processing limits. The bill will further establish expanded advertising regulations.
26th April 2024: US - Maryland: House Bill (HB) 805 has been signed by the governor. HB 805 will allow local governments to increase the 1,000 ft distance between cannabis dispensaries up to 2,000 ft. It also requires the Maryland Cannabis Administration to consider geographic distribution when giving licences, and it would allow the public to protest new dispensary locations.
4th April 2024: US - Maryland: House Bill (HB) 253, which would amend the Cannabis Reform Act, has been passed by the Senate and now goes to the governor. HB 253 would clarify the possession limits of medical cannabis for qualifying patients, restricting qualifying patients to the amount authorised in their written certification. The bill would authorise processors to supply cannabis to licensees and independent testing labs while increasing annual processing limits. It would also further establish expanded advertising regulations.
4th April 2024: US - Maryland: House Bill (HB) 805 has been passed by the Senate and now goes to the governor. HB 805 would allow local governments to increase the 1,000-ft distance between cannabis dispensaries up to 2,000 ft. It would also require the Maryland Cannabis Administration to consider geographic distribution when issuing licences, and it would allow individuals who live or own property within 1,000 ft of a dispensary to protest licence renewals.
19th March 2024: US - Maryland: House Bill 346 has been passed by the House and now heads to the Senate. The bill would authorise anyone aged 21 or over to manufacture a “personal use amount” of cannabis, or concentrated cannabis for personal use or adult sharing at a private residence.
14th March 2024: US - Maryland: House Bill (HB) 805 has been passed by the House and now heads to the Senate. HB 805 would generally modify some provisions relating to cannabis licensees and zoning restrictions.
16th October 2023: US - Maryland: A judge has issued a preliminary injunction to stop the enforcement of a new law that restricts the sale of hemp products that contain more than 0.5 mg of THC per serving or 2.5 mg of THC per package, press reports. The plaintiffs contend that the law is crippling the hemp industry by requiring that most hemp operators have a cannabis licence without allowing enough licences to support the industry. The judge reportedly took issue with the hemp industry being “immediately shut out of the market” and agreed that the new law effectively created a monopoly for the existing industry by only issuing a limited number of licences. The injunction suspends enforcement of this portion of the new law until the litigation is resolved.
27th July 2023: US - Maryland: A group of hemp businesses are suing governor Wes Moore and state lawmakers over a new law that bans the sale of products containing more than 0.5 mg of THC per serving or 2.5 mg of THC per package, press reports. The Maryland Hemp Coalition argues that most hemp products on the market would fall above this threshold, requiring hemp operators to have a cannabis licence – and that there are not enough cannabis licences to accommodate the hemp industry, thereby crippling the hemp sector in the state.
29th May 2023: US - Maryland: State officials have unveiled draft regulations for the state's adult-use cannabis market, scheduled to begin on 1st July following the enactment of House Bill 556. The proposed rules encompass key areas such as definitions, possession limits, licensing procedures (with a focus on social equity applicants), enforcement protocols, packaging and labelling requirements, delivery services, THC limits, advertising guidelines, and cannabis research. The regulations aim to facilitate the transition of existing medical cannabis businesses into the adult-use sector mainly through dual-licensing. The emergency regulations are currently undergoing review by the Joint Committee on Administrative, Executive, and Legislative Review (AELR), and their implementation will be dependent upon approval by the AELR Committee and publication in the Maryland Register.
22nd May 2023: US - Maryland: House Bill 232 has been signed by governor Wes Moore and enacted into law. The bill exempts the use of cannabis by parents or caregivers from qualifying as neglect, unless it causes harm or substantial risk to the child’s health or welfare. The legislation provides clarity on cannabis use by individuals responsible for the care and supervision of children, with certain exceptions, focusing on the child’s well-being and mental health.
4th May 2023: US – Maryland: House Bill 556 and Senate Bill 516 have both been signed into law by governor Wes Moore, creating a legal framework and tax structure to enable sales of adult-use cannabis as early as 1st July. Among other provisions, the new laws enable existing medical cannabis dispensaries to have dual licences to sell recreational and medical cannabis and create the independent Maryland Cannabis Administration as the body responsible for the programme. After sorting the differences between the bills, the measures exempt medical cannabis from tax, while placing a 9% tax on cannabis for adult recreational use.

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