More than 1,700 applications were submitted across all license categories.
The initial business licensing round for new cannabis growers, processors, and dispensaries closed on December 12, with more than 1,700 applications submitted across all three license categories. This application round marked the first cannabis licensing round in the nation that was exclusively open to qualifying social equity applicants.
A social equity applicant is an applicant that has at least 65 percent ownership and control held by one or more individuals who lived or went to public school in an area disproportionately impacted by the criminalization of cannabis or attended a four-year institution of higher education in Maryland where at least 40 percent of enrollees were eligible for a Pell Grant.
“The large volume of applications submitted before yesterday’s deadline demonstrates the significant interest in the cannabis industry in Maryland,” said Maryland Cannabis Administration Acting Director Will Tilburg. It is also a testament to the comprehensive outreach and education efforts made by the Administration and our partners at the Office of Social Equity to potential social equity applicants.”
Application Demographics
One thousand seven hundred eight applications were received by the deadline on December 12. Of these, 980 were for standard and micro dispensaries, 503 were for standard and micro growers, and 225 were for standard and microprocessors. Montgomery County (104), Prince George’s County (99), Baltimore County (83), Baltimore City (72), and Anne Arundel County (71) were the jurisdictions that received the largest number of standard dispensary applications, representing more than half of statewide total.
A total of 1,441 applicants, or 84% of all submissions, self-reported that they were minority- and women-owned businesses. Of these, 870 applicants self-reported they were black-owned businesses, Asian owners self-reported 268 submissions, and Hispanic or Latino owners self-reported 56 submissions.
Source: Maryland Cannabis Administration
Next Steps
The Maryland Cannabis Administration may award up to 179 licenses in this application round and is now tasked with reviewing each application to determine whether it meets the minimum requirements for licensing.
Any application that meets the minimum requirements will be placed into a lottery based on region or county, depending on the license type. As part of the review process, the Administration will verify any claims regarding social equity ownership and control made in the application.
The Administration is working quickly to conduct a comprehensive review of each application and will provide an update to applicants in the coming weeks. All applicants will be notified of their application status upon completing the review of all applications.
Visit cannabis.maryland.gov for more information.
