After existing Maryland medical cannabis businesses elected to convert their licenses by July 1st to be authorized to cultivate, manufacture, or dispense cannabis or cannabis products for adults twenty-one (21) years or older, the Maryland Cannabis Administration (“MCA”) has been hard at work striving to implement a prompt timeline to begin accepting applications for the 1st round of licenses, which now scheduled from November 13, 2023 – December 12, 2023.
On September 1, 2023, the Office of Social Equity announced the eligibility criteria for the upcoming licensing round. A “social equity applicant” is an entity that is at least 65% owned and controlled by one or more individuals who meet at least one (1) of the following criteria:
- Criteria 1: Has lived in a disproportionately impacted area for at least five (5) of the last ten (10) years immediately preceding the submission of the application.
- The ZIP codes that have been determined by the Office of Social Equity to meet this criteria in Maryland are here.
- Criteria 2: Attended a public school in a disproportionately impacted area for at least five (5) years.
- The list of currently open public schools that have been determined by the Office of Social Equity to meet this criteria in Maryland are here; OR
- Criteria 3: For at least two (2) years, attended a four-year institution of higher education in Maryland where at least 40% of the individuals who attended the institution of higher education received a Pell Grant.
- The list of higher education institutions that have been determined by the Office of Social Equity to meet this criteria are here.
All prospective applicants interested in applying for a license in the first round, which is exclusive to social equity applicants, must verify that they meet the regulatory requirements above through the MCA’s verification portal. The portal will be open for a sixty (60)-day period from September 8th, 2023, until it closes on November 7th, 2023. For further details, review the MCA’s “Social Equity Verification Process” here.
If an interested applicant is not a Maryland resident, he or she may still qualify so long as he or she can demonstrate to the MCA that they lived, or attended public school in another state or jurisdiction that meets the definition of a “disproportionately impacted area.”
On September 8, 2023, the MCA announced the number of licenses available for the first round. For standard licenses: sixteen (16) grower licenses, thirty-two (32) processor licenses, and seventy-five (75) dispensary licenses. For micro-licenses: twenty-four (24) grower licenses; twenty-four (24) processor licenses, and eight (8) dispensary licenses.
As discussed above, interested applicants will have from now and until November 7, 2023, to confirm their eligibility as a social equity applicant prior to the application round. Thereafter, verified social equity applicants will have thirty (30)-days from November 13, 2023, until December 12, 2023, to submit their applications for either a standard or micro grower, processor, or dispensary license. After the acceptance period closes on December 12, 2023, the MCA will begin conducting a lottery of applications that have passed on or before January 1, 2024.
If you are interested in applying for a lucrative Maryland Cannabis Business License, now is the time to work with a Team of experts to begin strategizing your plan in entering Maryland’s booming marijuana market. Contact us today to discuss your options!