The Maryland Cannabis Administration announced additional lottery licenses to be awarded at the end of June.
MCA held the first lottery on Mar. 14, 2024 after over two months of delays, awarding 174 licenses to winners. However, two counties, Calvert and Talbot, were not included in the lottery due to pending litigation.
MCA reported that since resolutions have been reached, the five standard dispensary licenses up for grabs in the two counties will be awarded on Friday, June 28 at 9:30 A.M.
In addition to the two counties being drawn, MCA is choosing to add a limited number of new licenses in other regions “due to the strong interest and engagement in the first round of social equity licenses,” they wrote in their announcement.
MCA also said it was motivated to expand the number available to increase the opportunity for more people to access the market.
Since the lottery in March, no new licensed growers, manufacturers or dispensaries have opened. In the almost 12 months since the legalization of the adult market, 96 previously licensed dispensaries have been the sole beneficiaries of $641 million in sales, according to MCA’s dashboard.
The additional licenses will be two additional dispensaries in the Central region, four standard grower, six micro grower, eight standard processor, and six micro processor licenses over all regions. See the full breakdown here.
In an email to applicants, MCA wrote that anyone who applied and did not win will be automatically entered in the new lottery unless they opt out by June 21.
The lottery will be live streamed on MCA’s website again.
Successful license applicants are currently undergoing a verification process conducted by an investigator. This verification will include reviewing application details, financial information and criminal background checks. If an applicant fails verification, the license will be offered to another qualified candidate from the same March lottery pool.
The same process will be followed for additional winners at the end of the month.
