A year after Maryland approved recreational cannabis, sales are booming but health concerns linger

A year ago, there were still plenty of unknowns in Maryland’s cannabis industry. Medical cannabis businesses, now cleared to participate in the newly approved recreational market, had to gauge what would happen when they opened their doors to all adults 21 and over on July 1, 2023, rather than just those with a medical need. And a newly established state agency charged with regulating the blooming pot market had to staff up for the anticipated surge in activity.

But on July 1, on the first anniversary of recreational legalization, Maryland cannabis business leaders and regulators say that legalization has gone smoothly here, in part because they learned from other states that had already carried out the legalization processes. With the immediate transition finished, the industry is now adjusting to a cannabis market that is maturing, along with its consumer base.

Cannabis use is no longer taboo and can now be discussed in terms of “everyday use,” said Chase Lessman, senior director of sales for the Bethesda-based cannabis company CULTA. Many of his recreational customers are either new to cannabis and learning about it, or returning after decades of nonuse.

Many Maryland residents are less rosy in their outlook, however. Two-thirds of state voters approved recreational cannabis in 2022, with the understanding that, in addition to creating a new revenue stream, it would help correct social equity imbalances that led Black people in particular to be disproportionately punished for marijuana use. But a recent Washington Post-University of Maryland poll found that Maryland voters’ feelings have become cooled since then, with only about a third of voters now saying legalization has been a good thing. [Read more @ The Baltimore Sun]