Maryland Cannabis Administration Releases Additional Information Related to the Upcoming Social Equity Cannabis Business Licensing Round
By Meg Nash
Sep 8, 2023
On Friday, September 8, the Office of Social Equity and Maryland Cannabis Administration released additional information related to the upcoming licensing round, including access to the social equity verification portal, application release timeline, submission deadline, and the number of licenses available per region and county. A summary of key information is included below.
Social Equity Verification Portal
Individuals who submitted the Cannabis Business Licensing Interest Form received access to the Social Equity Verification Portal on September 8, hosted by Creative Services Inc. (access provided via email from donotreply@creativeservices.com)
Key Takeaways:
Out-of-state residents can seek verification based on their residency and will receive a follow-up communication from the MCA.
A minimum of two documents are required to validate the address—one showing the move-in date, and another showing the move-out date. Acceptable points of validation have also been released, please contact us to access helpful screenshots.
If applicants are unable to provide transcripts validating education, you may be contacted by CSI. Otherwise, transcripts or enrollment documents are required.
If records are unavailable to validate the address in a DIA, applicants can identify points of contact to validate residency (e.g. a landlord or neighbor, but not a family member).
Application Timeline
-
We expect the application to be published by September 13, 2023.
-
The window to begin submitting applications is November 13, 2023.
-
Applications will be due for submission on December 12, 2023.
Number of Licenses Available
For standard licenses:
- 16 grower licenses
- 32 processor licenses
- 75 dispensary licenses
For micro licenses:
- 24 grower licenses
- 24 processor licenses
- 8 dispensary licenses
Regional Distribution of Standard Dispensary Licenses
| Jurisdiction | Number of Standard Dispensary Licenses Available |
| Maryland | 75 |
| Allegany | 1 |
| Anne Arundel | 5 |
| Baltimore | 6 |
| Baltimore City | 11 |
| Calvert | 3 |
| Caroline | 1 |
| Carroll | 2 |
| Cecil | 2 |
| Charles | 2 |
| Dorchester | 1 |
| Harford | 3 |
| Howard | 3 |
| Frederick | 3 |
| Garrett | 1 |
| Kent | 1 |
| Montgomery | 9 |
| Prince George's | 9 |
| Queen Anne's | 1 |
| St. Mary's | 2 |
| Somerset | 1 |
| Talbot | 2 |
| Washington | 3 |
| Wicomico | 2 |
| Worcester | 1 |
Regional Distribution for Growers, Processors, and Micro Licenses
The remaining licenses will be divided among the following regions:
-
Western Region: Allegany, Carroll, Frederick, Garrett, Montgomery, and Washington.
-
Southern Region: Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, Prince George's, and St. Mary's.
-
Central Region: Baltimore, Baltimore City, Cecil, Harford, and Howard.
-
Eastern Region: Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne's, Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico, and Worcester.
Equal numbers of licenses will be available in each region, as shown below (e.g. 2 micro-retail licenses are available in each region:
| Type | Number Available Per Region | Total in Round 1 |
| Standard: Growers | 4 | 16 |
| Standard: Processors | 8 | 32 |
| Micro: Growers | 6 | 24 |
| Micro: Processors | 6 | 24 |
| Micro: Dispensaries | 2 | 8 |
The Maryland market is an exciting opportunity! Please reach out to Meg Nash at m.nash@vicentellp.com to learn more.
Sign up for Maryland cannabis regulatory and licensing updates from Vicente LLP