MJBiz - July/August 2024 - 24

INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS State by State
Maryland
State regulators awarded 174 adult-use marijuana social equity licenses through a lottery.
The move represents the first major expansion in the state's recreational cannabis industry
since Maryland legalized adult use in November 2022. Recreational sales launched in July 2023
at existing medical marijuana dispensaries that were allowed to convert to adult use.
Regulators had hoped to conduct the social equity licensing lottery in January but were
overwhelmed by the number of applications received in December. A total of 1,515 eligible
social equity applicants entered the lottery conducted March 14 for one of six license types,
according to the Maryland Cannabis Administration (MCA).
The social equity licenses awarded in the lottery were retail, cultivation and processing in
micro plus a standard permit for each category.
There were 44 different lottery pools, organized by geographic region, city or county. Some
pools awarded as many as 11 licenses based on population, while other pools awarded only one
license, and some single-license lottery pools had only one applicant, according to the MCA.
Massachusetts
Facing a lawsuit and pressure to ensure residents have access to medical marijuana, the
Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) issued an administrative order to allow
deliveries of regulated marijuana to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket by boat.
The administrative order " permits the transportation of cannabis in territorial waters, " CCC
Acting Chair Ava Callender Concepcion said, adding that the order would effectively bring the
lawsuit to an end.
West Tisbury-based marijuana cultivator Fine Fettle announced plans to close this year,
leaving medical marijuana and adult-use retailer Island Time, a fellow regulated operator
on Martha's Vineyard, without a way to obtain regulated cannabis to sell before the
announcement.
Island Time filed the lawsuit jointly with Nantucket-based The Green Lady Dispensary,
alleging the CCC " placed onerous burdens on island-based licensees and their medical and
adult-use customers " by not allowing water deliveries of wholesale marijuana to the islands.
Michigan
Retailers in the state sold about 9.3% more cannabis in April than in March, but they brought
in about 3.5% less money.
In April, Michigan retailers sold 573,206 total pounds of cannabis-569,620 pounds to adultuse
customers and 3,586 pounds to medical marijuana patients-for a total of $278.5 million.
Of that April total, $276.7 million was spent by recreational shoppers and $1.9 million by
MMJ patients, according to monthly statistics from Michigan's Cannabis Regulatory Agency.
The agency reported that average prices for an ounce of recreational cannabis slid from
$90.70 in March to $86.61 in April, while the average price for an ounce of medical cannabis
decreased from $101.22 in March to $99.74 in April.
24 July-August 2024 | MJBizMagazine

MJBiz - July/August 2024

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