Data as of 2026-06-07

Maryland

Maryland voters approved adult-use cannabis through Question 4, a constitutional amendment, on November 8, 2022. The Cannabis Reform Act of 2023 set July 1, 2023 as the date possession became legal for adults 21 and over, and licensed adult-use retail sales began the same day; implementation lag was zero. The state achieved this by allowing existing medical dispensaries to pay a conversion fee and sell both medical and adult-use cannabis from the first day. Total legal retail sales surpassed $1.1 billion in the first full year, adult-use and medical combined. Because medical cannabis is exempt from the sales tax, adult-use retail sales can be derived from cannabis tax receipts: fiscal year 2024 adult-use sales were roughly $708 million, rising to roughly $798 million in fiscal year 2025, year-over-year growth of 12.6 percent. First-full-year total sales work out to $175.63 per resident. The cannabis sales-and-use tax rate was 9 percent from launch through June 30, 2025, then rose to 12 percent on July 1, 2025 under the Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act of 2025. There are 108 operating dispensaries, 1.72 per 100,000 residents. The first round of new adult-use licenses was reserved exclusively for social equity applicants. On June 17, 2024, Governor Moore pardoned 175,000 cannabis convictions.

Market

Licensing & Market

Maryland operates a capped, round-based licensing market rather than open licensing. The Cannabis Reform Act of 2023 reserved the entire first round of new adult-use licenses for social equity applicants. License caps exist and are set by statute and round; the first round was capped at 205 licenses across grower, processor, and dispensary categories. Maryland does not publish a single fetchable primary count of total cultivator or retailer licenses awarded or operational; the authoritative count lives on the Maryland Cannabis Administration data dashboard, which is rendered through a session-based interface that cannot be sourced for a public reference. The count of operating dispensaries is recorded at 108, drawn from secondary reporting citing the administration's data, which yields 1.72 operating dispensaries per 100,000 residents. Vertical integration is allowed with restrictions: dispensaries licensed before December 31, 2022 must source at least 25 percent of retail products from licensees with no common ownership and from social equity licensees. Licenses are transferable with restrictions; a converted legacy-to-dual license carries a five-year transfer lock running through July 1, 2028. No general owner-residency requirement applies. Maryland regulates business siting through local zoning rather than a municipal opt-in or opt-out registry, so no count of allowing versus prohibiting jurisdictions is published. The state charges a single five-year licensing fee rather than an annual fee: $50,000 for a standard grower and $25,000 for a standard dispensary, each above a $5,000 application fee, with social equity licensees paying 50 percent less. Product is tracked through Metrc.

Field Value Source
Cultivator licenses awarded Not available in the public record —
Cultivator licenses operational Not available in the public record —
Cultivator activation rate Not available in the public record —
Operating cultivators per million Not available in the public record —
Retail licenses awarded Not available in the public record —
Retail licenses operational 108 [8]
Retail activation rate Not available in the public record —
Dispensaries per 100k 1.72 [9]
Vertical integration allowed with restrictions [10]
License caps exist Yes [11]
Licenses transferable Yes [12]
Residency required No [13]
Residency duration (months) Not available in the public record —
Municipalities allowing Not available in the public record —
Municipalities total Not available in the public record —
Municipal opt-in rate Not available in the public record —
Track-and-trace system Metrc [14]
Cultivator application fee $5,000 [15]
Cultivator annual fee $10,000 [16]
Retail application fee $5,000 [17]
Retail annual fee $5,000 [18]
Consumers

Consumer Rules

Adults 21 and over may possess up to 1.5 ounces of cannabis flower, the personal use amount defined by the Cannabis Reform Act of 2023. Home cultivation is permitted up to two plants per household out of public view, regardless of the number of adults present. Per-day purchases are capped at 1.5 ounces of usable flower, 12 grams of concentrate, or products containing 750 milligrams of THC or less. All standard product forms are legal, including dried flower, concentrates, vape cartridges, tinctures, infused edibles, capsules, liquid edibles, and infused non-edibles. Delivery is legal and operational, conducted by micro dispensaries that operate without a physical storefront. On-site consumption establishments were authorized by 2025 legislation, with the administration permitted to issue up to 15 licenses; no on-site consumption licenses had been issued as of mid-2026.

Field Value Source
Home grow allowed Yes [19]
Home grow plant limit 2 [20]
Possession limit (oz) 1.5 [21]
Delivery legal Yes [22]
Delivery operational Yes [23]
Consumption lounges legal Yes [24]
Consumption lounges count 0 [25]
Purchase limit, flower (oz) 1.5 [26]
Purchase limit, concentrate (g) 12 [27]
Purchase limit, edibles (mg) 750 [28]
All product forms legal Yes [29]
Restricted product forms Not available in the public record —
Taxes

Taxation

Maryland imposes no separate cannabis excise tax and no potency or weight tax. The only cannabis-specific consumer levy is the sales-and-use tax, which replaces rather than stacks on the ordinary state sales tax. The rate was 9 percent from the July 1, 2023 launch through June 30, 2025, then rose to 12 percent on July 1, 2025 under the Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act of 2025. No local cannabis sales tax is authorized. Medical cannabis is fully exempt from the sales-and-use tax. Cannabis tax revenue for fiscal year 2025, the most recent complete fiscal year and entirely at the 9 percent rate, was $71,788,057, which is $11.46 per resident. The Cannabis Reform Act directs 35 percent of cannabis revenue to the Community Reinvestment and Repair Fund, with additional carve-outs to a public health fund, a business assistance fund, and counties and municipalities; that is a distribution of state tax revenue, not a tax consumers pay.

Field Value Source
Excise tax 0% [30]
Excise tax type none [31]
Sales tax 12% [32]
Wholesale tax Not available in the public record —
Potency tax exists No [33]
Potency tax, flower Not available in the public record —
Potency tax, concentrate Not available in the public record —
Potency tax, edibles Not available in the public record —
Local tax (max) 0% [34]
Local tax (typical) 0% [35]
Total effective rate 12% [36]
Medical tax exempt Yes [37]
Medical tax rate Not available in the public record —
Annual tax revenue $71,788,057 [38]
Tax revenue per capita $11.46 [39]
Tax changed since legalization Yes [40]
Tax direction increased [41]
Operators

Operator Data

Total legal retail sales surpassed $1.1 billion in the first full year of sales, adult-use and medical combined. Adult-use retail sales are derivable from cannabis tax receipts because medical cannabis is sales-tax-exempt: roughly $708 million in fiscal year 2024 and roughly $798 million in fiscal year 2025, year-over-year growth of 12.6 percent on this tax-derived basis. First-full-year total sales were $175.63 per resident. Retail flower prices are reported as declining, drawn from secondary reporting citing the administration's monthly sales data. Maryland publishes no public wholesale price index, so wholesale-level price compression and operator margins cannot be quantified from public records; those figures are available only through proprietary data not used here. The state publishes no peak-versus-current cultivation license series or license-attrition count; the market launched in July 2023 and is still expanding through the social equity licensing rounds.

Field Value Source
Wholesale flower ($/lb) Not available in the public record —
Wholesale flower period Not available in the public record —
Wholesale trend Not available in the public record —
Wholesale price compression Not available in the public record —
Retail flower ($/oz) $231.84 [42]
Operator margin Not available in the public record —
Total market sales $1,100,000,000 [43]
Adult-use sales $918,072,215 [44]
Per-capita sales $146.53 [45]
YoY sales growth 12.6% [46]
License attrition (count) Not available in the public record —
License attrition Not available in the public record —
Peak cultivation licenses Not available in the public record —
Current cultivation licenses Not available in the public record —
Outcomes

Consumer Data

Maryland's first-full-year total retail sales were $175.63 per resident, served by 1.72 operating dispensaries per 100,000 residents. Retail flower prices are reported as declining, drawn from secondary reporting citing the administration's monthly sales data. The state publishes no primary estimate of legal-market capture, the share of total consumption met by licensed retailers versus the unregulated market, so the degree to which legal supply has displaced the legacy market cannot be stated from public sources.

Field Value Source
Per-capita sales $146.53 [45]
Dispensaries per 100k 1.72 [9]
Legal market capture Not available in the public record —
Legal capture source Not available in the public record —
Retail price trend declining [47]
Equity

Equity Programs

Maryland built the first social-equity-exclusive licensing round in the country. Under the Cannabis Reform Act of 2023, the entire first round of new adult-use licenses was reserved for social equity applicants, defined by five of the past ten years of residence in or five years of public schooling in a disproportionately impacted area, or attendance at a Maryland four-year institution where at least 40 percent of students were Pell-eligible. The act created a standalone Office of Social Equity and a Community Reinvestment and Repair Fund financed by 35 percent of adult-use cannabis tax revenue. The first round selected 205 social equity applicants across the grower, processor, and dispensary categories, plus 10 micro-delivery licenses; the state publishes no per-type breakdown of those awards and no clean count of how many are operational. The state collects minority- and women-ownership data by statutory mandate but publishes no specific percentage. The reinvestment fund is collecting revenue but is largely not yet reaching communities: the 2024 Office of Social Equity report states that only 4 of Maryland's 24 jurisdictions had utilized any of their fund money, with the remaining 20 still developing their grant processes. On June 17, 2024, Governor Moore pardoned 175,000 cannabis convictions, the largest such action of any state and the first to include paraphernalia; the pardon applied automatically without application. A pardon is not a full expungement: approximately 40,000 of the 175,000 cases will be automatically expunged, and all pardoned cannabis-possession offenses are to be removed from public view by January 31, 2026.

Field Value Source
Equity program exists Yes [48]
Equity program type First-in-the-nation social-equity-EXCLUSIVE first licensing round. Under the Cannabis Reform Act of 2023 (HB 556), the entire first round of new adult-use licenses was reserved for Social Equity Applicants (SEAs). An SEA is defined as a business with at least 65% ownership/control by an individual who (a) has lived for at least 5 of the past 10 years in a disproportionately impacted area, (b) attended a public school in such an area for at least 5 years, or (c) attended a Maryland 4-year higher-education institution where at least 40% of attendees were eligible for a Pell Grant. A standalone Office of Social Equity (OSE) and a Community Reinvestment and Repair Fund (CRRF) were created by the same Act. [49]
Equity licenses awarded 205 [50]
Equity licenses operational Not available in the public record —
Equity activation rate Not available in the public record —
Equity fund exists Yes [51]
Equity fund size Not available in the public record —
Equity fund disbursed Not available in the public record —
Equity fund disbursement rate Not available in the public record —
Minority ownership Not available in the public record —
Women ownership Not available in the public record —
Community reinvestment Not available in the public record —
Expungement exists Yes [52]
Expungement automatic Yes [53]
Expungements processed 175000 [54]
Income cap for equity Not available in the public record —
Enforcement

Enforcement

Maryland tracks regulated product seed-to-sale through Metrc. The Maryland Cannabis Administration conducted 489 licensee compliance inspections in fiscal year 2024. The administration's regulatory budget was $24,166,366 in fiscal year 2024, staffed by 116 positions in the fiscal year 2025 working appropriation. Mandatory testing covers eight categories under the administration's Technical Authority and COMAR 14.17.08: cannabinoids and potency, terpenes, foreign matter, microbiological impurities, mycotoxins, heavy metals, residual solvents, and pesticide residue. Beyond these figures, the state does not publish the operational metrics of enforcement as public figures: aggregate enforcement actions against licensees, illicit-market enforcement actions, per-batch testing cost, product recalls, and the licensee fine schedule are not available in the public record. Maryland statute grants the administration discretion to fine, suspend, restrict, or revoke licenses with amounts set case by case rather than by a published schedule. These gaps reflect the absence of reported figures, not the absence of enforcement.

Field Value Source
Track-and-trace system Metrc [14]
Inspections per year 489 [55]
Enforcement actions (licensees) Not available in the public record —
Unlicensed-market enforcement actions Not available in the public record —
Regulatory budget $24,166,366 [56]
Regulatory staff 116 [57]
Mandatory testing analytes 8 [58]
Testing cost per batch Not available in the public record —
Product recalls per year Not available in the public record —
Fine schedule (min) Not available in the public record —
Fine schedule (max) Not available in the public record —
Criminal Law

Penalties & Criminal Law

The Cannabis Reform Act of 2023, effective July 1, 2023, reduced cannabis penalties across the board. Possession of the 1.5-ounce personal use amount is legal for adults 21 and over. Possession above the personal use amount but within the civil use amount, up to 2.5 ounces of flower, is a civil offense carrying a fine up to $250; possession exceeding the civil use amount is a misdemeanor carrying up to six months and a fine up to $1,000. Smoking cannabis in a public place is a civil offense, a fine up to $50 for a first finding and up to $150 for a subsequent one. No cannabis penalty was increased after legalization; the net direction is lighter for personal-use conduct. Maryland has no possession-quantity felony for cannabis: the only cannabis felonies are conduct-based distribution or possession with intent to distribute, carrying up to five years and a fine up to $15,000, and the 50-pound volume-dealer tier, which carries a mandatory minimum of five years and a fine up to $100,000. Cultivating more than the two-plant home-grow allowance is a misdemeanor carrying up to three years and a fine up to $5,000. Maryland sets no per se THC blood limit for impaired driving, relying on an impairment standard. Post-legalization arrest counts and the racial disparity ratio are not asserted here as current figures: the available arrest series is secondary federal data that the state itself reports as undercounted, and the only located disparity ratio is a 2018 pre-legalization baseline. Both are preserved in the underlying time-series rather than stated as a current figure.

Field Value Source
Max penalty, unlicensed cultivation Cultivating more than the 2-plant home-grow allowance is a misdemeanor: imprisonment not exceeding 3 years and/or a fine not exceeding $5,000 (Md. Crim. Law sec 5-601.2). Unlicensed commercial manufacture/cultivation is prosecuted as a felony under sec 5-603 with the penalty in sec 5-607(b): up to 5 years and/or $15,000. [59]
Max penalty, unlicensed sale Unlawful distribution / possession with intent to distribute cannabis is a felony: imprisonment not exceeding 5 years and/or a fine not exceeding $15,000 (Md. Crim. Law sec 5-602, penalty sec 5-607(b)). Volume dealer (50 lbs or more, sec 5-612): mandatory minimum 5 years and up to $100,000. Drug kingpin (sec 5-613): 20-40 years and up to $1,000,000. [60]
Felony threshold (grams) Not available in the public record —
Felony threshold type Not available in the public record —
Penalty, possession over limit Possession over the 1.5 oz personal use amount but within the civil use amount (over 1.5 oz up to 2.5 oz flower; over 12 g up to 20 g concentrate; over 750 mg up to 1,250 mg THC) is a civil offense, fine not exceeding $250 (Md. Crim. Law sec 5-601(c)(2)(ii)2). Possession exceeding the civil use amount is a misdemeanor: imprisonment not exceeding 6 months and/or a fine not exceeding $1,000 (sec 5-601(c)(2)(i)). [61]
Penalty, public consumption Smoking cannabis in a public place is a civil offense: fine not exceeding $50 for a first finding of guilt and not exceeding $150 for a second or subsequent finding (Md. Crim. Law sec 5-601(c)(4)). [62]
DUI per se limit (ng) Not available in the public record —
DUI zero tolerance No [63]
Penalties increased post-legalization No [64]
Penalty direction lighter [65]
Penalty direction details The Cannabis Reform Act of 2023 (eff. 7/1/2023) legalized possession of the personal use amount (1.5 oz) and 2-plant home cultivation for adults 21+, reduced over-limit possession (1.5-2.5 oz) to a $250 civil fine, and cut public-smoking to a $50/$150 civil fine. On 6/17/2024 Gov. Moore pardoned 175,000 cannabis convictions. No cannabis penalty was increased. Net direction is lighter for personal-use conduct; unlicensed commercial-supply felonies were not raised. [66]
Post-legalization arrests (annual) 590 [67]
Racial disparity ratio 2.13 [68]
Expungement exists Yes [52]
Expungement automatic Yes [53]

Sources

  1. ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2024 Population Estimates (NST-EST2024-POP), state of Maryland https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/tables/2020-2024/state/totals/NST-EST2024-POP.xlsx
  2. ↑ USPS / U.S. Census Bureau standard two-letter abbreviation for Maryland https://www.census.gov/library/reference/code-lists/ansi.html
  3. ↑ Dashboard compilation date 2026-06-07. Underlying data vintages: MCA FY2024 Annual Report; MD Comptroller cannabis tax reports through Q2 2025 (with a Q3 2025 press figure); MD DLS FY2026 budget analysis; Census Vintage 2024 population https://cannabis.maryland.gov/pages/data-dashboard.aspx
  4. ↑ Maryland voters approved adult-use via Question 4 (constitutional amendment) on Nov 8, 2022; the Cannabis Reform Act of 2023 (HB 556) set July 1, 2023 as the date possession and purchase became legal for adults 21+. MCA FY2024 Annual Report, 'July 1' Key Event https://cannabis.maryland.gov/Documents/Annual%20Reports/MCA%20Annual%20Report%202024-r12_spread.pdf
  5. ↑ MCA FY2024 Annual Report — adult-use retail sales began July 1, 2023, with existing medical dispensaries permitted to pay a conversion fee and sell both adult-use and medical cannabis from day one https://cannabis.maryland.gov/Documents/Annual%20Reports/MCA%20Annual%20Report%202024-r12_spread.pdf
  6. ↑ CALC: legalization (possession) and first adult-use retail sale both occurred July 1, 2023 (2023-07-01 minus 2023-07-01) = 0 days. Maryland flipped legal possession and licensed retail sales on the same day by converting existing medical operators.
  7. ↑ U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2024 Population Estimates (NST-EST2024-POP), Maryland July 1, 2024 = 6,263,220 https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/tables/2020-2024/state/totals/NST-EST2024-POP.xlsx
  8. ↑ [SECONDARY] Dank Reports analysis (2025) citing MCA data: '108 active dispensaries statewide.' Underlying primary = MCA Medical and Adult-Use Data Dashboard ('Count of License by Business Type'), which is JS/session-rendered and needs an in-browser human check https://www.dankreports.com/maryland-cannabis-market-analysis/
  9. ↑ CALC: 108 operational dispensaries / (6,263,220 / 100,000) = 1.72 per 100K residents.
  10. ↑ Allowed with restrictions. Maryland permits common-ownership grow/process/dispense structures (legacy medical operators were vertically integrated), but COMAR 14.17.12.06 / Md. Code Alcoholic Beverages & Cannabis Art. sec 36-410(a)(3) requires a dispensary licensed before Dec 31, 2022 to ensure 25% of products for retail sale are produced by licensees with no common ownership AND by social equity licensees; and a licensee may NOT enter a branding/licensing agreement that gives the licensor ownership or control (sec 36-101). MCA Cannabis Policy FAQs (v7, 5/29/2025) https://cannabis.maryland.gov/Documents/2025_Laws_and_Regulations/Cannabis%20Policy%20FAQs_053025.pdf
  11. ↑ Maryland caps the number of licenses by category and round. The MCA FY2024 Annual Report states the second round is authorized to award up to 25 standard and 70 micro grower licenses; the first round was capped at 205 across grower/processor/dispensary per Md. Code Alcoholic Beverages & Cannabis Art. sec 36-404(d) https://cannabis.maryland.gov/Documents/Annual%20Reports/MCA%20Annual%20Report%202024-r12_spread.pdf
  12. ↑ Transferable with restrictions. Per MCA Cannabis Policy FAQs (v7, 5/29/2025): a converted (legacy medical to dual) license is not transferable for at least 5 years following licensure and prior to July 1, 2028 (with disability/death/bankruptcy/receivership/court-order and pre-2023 litigation-settlement exceptions); transfers under 5% need no MCA review; social equity / conditional licensees must keep at least 51% ownership and control with qualifying SEAs (COMAR 14.17.05). A license may also be held as collateral and sold via receivership (COMAR 14.17.17) https://cannabis.maryland.gov/Documents/2025_Laws_and_Regulations/Cannabis%20Policy%20FAQs_053025.pdf
  13. ↑ No general owner-residency requirement. MCA Cannabis Policy FAQs (v7, 5/29/2025): non-U.S. citizens may hold any amount of ownership in a Maryland cannabis business (COMAR 14.17.16), and the statute imposes no universal residency-duration rule on owners. (Social Equity Applicant status separately requires a geographic/education connection to a disproportionately impacted area, captured under equity_program_type.) https://cannabis.maryland.gov/Documents/2025_Laws_and_Regulations/Cannabis%20Policy%20FAQs_053025.pdf
  14. ↑ MCA mandates statewide seed-to-sale tracking via Metrc (Marijuana Enforcement Tracking Regulation and Compliance system). MCA FY2024 Annual Report https://cannabis.maryland.gov/Documents/Annual%20Reports/MCA%20Annual%20Report%202024-r12_spread.pdf
  15. ↑ COMAR 14.17.21.02 — standard grower application fee = $5,000 (micro grower $1,000) https://regs.maryland.gov/us/md/exec/comar/14.17.21.02
  16. ↑ CALC: Maryland charges a single 5-year licensing fee, not an annual fee. Standard grower licensing fee = $50,000 / 5-year term (COMAR 14.17.21.02) = $10,000/yr annualized equivalent (social equity licensees pay 50% less) https://regs.maryland.gov/us/md/exec/comar/14.17.21.02
  17. ↑ COMAR 14.17.21.02 — standard dispensary application fee = $5,000 (micro dispensary $1,000) https://regs.maryland.gov/us/md/exec/comar/14.17.21.02
  18. ↑ CALC: Maryland charges a single 5-year licensing fee, not an annual fee. Standard dispensary licensing fee = $25,000 / 5-year term (COMAR 14.17.21.02) = $5,000/yr annualized equivalent (social equity licensees pay 50% less) https://regs.maryland.gov/us/md/exec/comar/14.17.21.02
  19. ↑ Md. Code, Alcoholic Beverages & Cannabis Art. (Cannabis Reform Act of 2023); MCA Adult-Use Cannabis FAQs confirm adults 21+ may cultivate up to 2 plants out of public view https://cannabis.maryland.gov/pages/cannabisfaq.aspx
  20. ↑ MCA Adult-Use Cannabis FAQs: maximum 2 plants per household regardless of the number of adults 21+; medical patients may grow 2 additional (4-plant household cap) https://cannabis.maryland.gov/pages/cannabisfaq.aspx
  21. ↑ Personal use amount = 1.5 oz flower (Cannabis Reform Act of 2023). MD Comptroller Quarterly Cannabis Update Q4 2024: 'adults may possess up to 1.5 ounces of cannabis flower ... known as the personal use amount.' https://www.marylandcomptroller.gov/content/dam/mdcomp/md/cannabis/reports/cannabis-update-q4-2024.pdf
  22. ↑ COMAR 14.17.12 (Dispensary Operations); micro-dispensary delivery authorized under COMAR 14.17.12.03 to adults 21+ with valid ID https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/maryland/COMAR-14-17-12-04
  23. ↑ MCA Cannabis Policy FAQs (v7, 5/29/2025): micro dispensaries operate as delivery services without a physical storefront (COMAR 14.17.12.03); MCA FY2024 Annual Report documents 57,000+ medical cannabis deliveries (Jul 2023-Oct 2024) https://cannabis.maryland.gov/Documents/2025_Laws_and_Regulations/Cannabis%20Policy%20FAQs_053025.pdf
  24. ↑ [SECONDARY] University of Maryland Carey Law 2025 Cannabis Public Health Legislative Summary — on-site consumption establishment licenses authorized by 2025 legislation (HB 132 / SB 215), MCA may issue up to 15. Underlying primary = Md. Code, Alcoholic Beverages & Cannabis Art. (2025 session). ).pdf https://www.law.umaryland.edu/media/sol/pdfs/programs/public-health-law/2025-Cannabis-Public-Health-Legislative-Summary-(PDF
  25. ↑ [SECONDARY] MCA Cannabis Policy FAQs context — no on-site consumption licenses awarded as of mid-2026; licensing deferred until a later round https://cannabis.maryland.gov/Documents/2025_Laws_and_Regulations/Cannabis%20Policy%20FAQs_053025.pdf
  26. ↑ COMAR 14.17.12.04 (Dispensary Operations): an individual may not purchase more than 1.5 oz usable cannabis OR 12 g concentrate OR products with 750 mg THC or less per day https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/maryland/COMAR-14-17-12-04
  27. ↑ COMAR 14.17.12.04: 12 grams of concentrated cannabis products per day https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/maryland/COMAR-14-17-12-04
  28. ↑ COMAR 14.17.12.04: edible products/capsules/tinctures not to exceed 750 milligrams THC per day https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/maryland/COMAR-14-17-12-04
  29. ↑ MCA Cannabis Policy FAQs (v7, 5/29/2025) lists permitted Metrc finished-product categories sold in MD: Buds, Concentrate, Infused Edible, Infused Edible (Capsule), Infused Liquid Edible, Infused Non-Edibles, Tincture, Vape Cart — all standard forms permitted https://cannabis.maryland.gov/Documents/2025_Laws_and_Regulations/Cannabis%20Policy%20FAQs_053025.pdf
  30. ↑ Maryland imposes NO separate cannabis excise tax; adult-use is taxed solely under the sales-and-use tax (Md. Code, Tax-General Art. sec 11-104(k)) https://www.marylandcomptroller.gov/cannabis.html
  31. ↑ No excise tax; the cannabis-specific levy is a percentage-of-price sales-and-use tax. Md. Code, Tax-General Art. sec 11-104(k) https://www.marylandcomptroller.gov/cannabis.html
  32. ↑ Md. Code, Tax-General Art. sec 11-104(k): adult-use cannabis sales-and-use tax = 9% (Jul 1 2023-Jun 30 2025), increased to 12% effective July 1, 2025 under the Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act of 2025 https://www.marylandcomptroller.gov/cannabis.html
  33. ↑ No potency/weight tax exists in Maryland; the cannabis tax is ad valorem (percent of price) only. Md. Code, Tax-General Art. sec 11-104(k) https://www.marylandcomptroller.gov/cannabis.html
  34. ↑ Maryland's cannabis sales-and-use tax is a state-level tax; no local cannabis sales tax is authorized. Counties/municipalities instead receive a statutory revenue distribution https://www.marylandcomptroller.gov/cannabis.html
  35. ↑ No local cannabis sales tax in Maryland https://www.marylandcomptroller.gov/cannabis.html
  36. ↑ Current combined consumer tax = 12% (state cannabis sales-and-use tax, no local add-on and no stacked general 6% sales tax — the cannabis rate is the sole consumer tax) https://www.marylandcomptroller.gov/cannabis.html
  37. ↑ MCA / Comptroller: sales to qualifying medical patients and caregivers are exempt from the sales-and-use tax https://www.marylandcomptroller.gov/cannabis.html
  38. ↑ Most recent COMPLETE Maryland fiscal year (FY2025, Jul 2024-Jun 2025) cannabis tax = $71,788,057 (sum of MD Comptroller calendar-quarter totals Q3'24 $18,292,024 + Q4'24 $17,614,140 + Q1'25 $17,510,109 + Q2'25 $18,371,784, all at the 9% rate) https://www.marylandcomptroller.gov/cannabis/tax-reports.html
  39. ↑ CALC: $71,788,057 FY2025 cannabis tax / 6,263,220 population (Census V2024) = $11.46.
  40. ↑ Rate rose from 9% (July 2023 launch) to 12% effective July 1, 2025 via the Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act of 2025 https://www.marylandcomptroller.gov/cannabis.html
  41. ↑ Increased 9% -> 12%, effective July 1, 2025 https://www.marylandcomptroller.gov/cannabis.html
  42. ↑ [SECONDARY] Dank Reports (2025) citing MCA monthly sales reports: median consumer price ~$8.28/g pre-tax flower; $8.28 x 28 = ~$231.84/oz equivalent. Underlying primary = MCA Data Dashboard 'median consumer price per gram' (needs in-browser confirmation; this is a median-derived estimate, not a published per-ounce figure) https://www.dankreports.com/maryland-cannabis-market-analysis/
  43. ↑ MCA FY2024 Annual Report — 'surpassing $1.1 billion in total retail sales' in the first full year of sales (adult-use + medical combined) https://cannabis.maryland.gov/Documents/Annual%20Reports/MCA%20Annual%20Report%202024-r12_spread.pdf
  44. ↑ [MD MCA Data Dashboard]() — CY2025 adult-use retail = $918,072,215 (spans Adult-Use→Consumer label change mid-2025). MCA dashboard data extract, summed by Year×Customer Type, KPI-validated https://cannabis.maryland.gov/Pages/Data-Dashboard.aspx
  45. ↑ CALC: CY2025 · adult-use sales $918,072,215 / population 6,265,347 (U.S. Census Vintage 2025) = $146.53. Reconciled adult-use per-capita (matches Operator Outcomes and the ranking page).
  46. ↑ CALC: adult-use retail sales (tax-derived) grew from $708,476,367 (FY2024) to $797,645,078 (FY2025) = +12.6% https://www.marylandcomptroller.gov/cannabis/tax-reports.html
  47. ↑ [SECONDARY] Dank Reports (2025) citing MCA monthly sales reports — median flower price down ~9.8% since launch. Underlying primary = MCA Data Dashboard median consumer price per gram https://www.dankreports.com/maryland-cannabis-market-analysis/
  48. ↑ Cannabis Reform Act of 2023 (HB 556) created the Office of Social Equity and reserved the first adult-use licensing round exclusively for Social Equity Applicants. MCA FY2024 Annual Report, 'Social Equity Licensing.' https://cannabis.maryland.gov/Documents/Annual%20Reports/MCA%20Annual%20Report%202024-r12_spread.pdf
  49. ↑ MCA FY2024 Annual Report + Md. Code, Alcoholic Beverages & Cannabis Art. sec 36-404 — first-in-the-nation social-equity-exclusive licensing round; SEA defined by 5-of-10-year residence in or 5 years of public schooling in a disproportionately impacted area, or attendance at a Maryland 4-year institution with 40%+ Pell-eligible students https://cannabis.maryland.gov/Documents/Annual%20Reports/MCA%20Annual%20Report%202024-r12_spread.pdf
  50. ↑ MCA FY2024 Annual Report — 205 social equity applicants were selected across the micro and standard grower, processor, and dispensary categories in the first (SE-exclusive) round; an additional 10 micro-delivery licenses were also awarded https://cannabis.maryland.gov/Documents/Annual%20Reports/MCA%20Annual%20Report%202024-r12_spread.pdf
  51. ↑ Cannabis Reform Act of 2023 created the Community Reinvestment and Repair Fund (CRRF), financed by 35% of adult-use cannabis tax revenue, administered by the Office of Social Equity and the Comptroller https://ose.maryland.gov/Pages/Community-Reinvestment-and-Repair-Fund.aspx
  52. ↑ Cannabis Reform Act of 2023 expanded cannabis expungement (Md. Code, Criminal Procedure sec 10-105 / sec 10-110); Gov. Moore's June 17, 2024 executive order pardoned 175,000 cannabis convictions https://governor.maryland.gov/news/press/pages/governor-moore-signs-nationally-historic-executive-order-pardoning-175000-maryland-cannabis-convictions.aspx
  53. ↑ The Moore pardon applied automatically (no application required; court records and the state background-check system updated by the state), and pardoned cannabis-possession offenses are to be removed from public view by Jan 31, 2026 under the Expungement Reform Act https://governor.maryland.gov/news/press/pages/governor-moore-signs-nationally-historic-executive-order-pardoning-175000-maryland-cannabis-convictions.aspx
  54. ↑ Gov. Moore's June 17, 2024 executive order pardoned 175,000 cannabis convictions (largest such action of any state; first to include paraphernalia). Approximately 40,000 of the 175,000 cases will be automatically expunged; all pardoned offenses removed from public view by Jan 31, 2026 https://governor.maryland.gov/news/press/pages/governor-moore-signs-nationally-historic-executive-order-pardoning-175000-maryland-cannabis-convictions.aspx
  55. ↑ MCA FY2024 Annual Report, 'FY24 Inspection Activities': Dispensaries 385 + Growers 58 + Processors 40 + Others 6 = 489 licensee compliance inspections https://cannabis.maryland.gov/Documents/Annual%20Reports/MCA%20Annual%20Report%202024-r12_spread.pdf
  56. ↑ MD Dept. of Legislative Services, Analysis of the FY2026 Maryland Executive Budget, D23 Maryland Cannabis Administration — FY2024 actual expenditures $24,166,366 (all Special Fund / Cannabis Regulation and Enforcement Fund) https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/pubs/budgetfiscal/2026fy-budget-docs-operating-D23-Maryland-Cannabis-Administration.pdf
  57. ↑ MD DLS Analysis of FY2026 Executive Budget, D23 MCA — 116 total positions (110 regular + 6 contractual) in the FY2025 working appropriation and FY2026 allowance https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/pubs/budgetfiscal/2026fy-budget-docs-operating-D23-Maryland-Cannabis-Administration.pdf
  58. ↑ MCA Technical Authority for Cannabis Testing (Rev. 6.0, eff. Feb 2024), COMAR 14.17.08 — 8 mandatory testing categories: cannabinoids/potency, terpenes, foreign matter, microbiological impurities, mycotoxins, heavy metals, residual solvents, pesticide residue https://cannabis.maryland.gov/Documents/2024_PDF_Files/MCA%20Technical%20Authority%20Rev%206%20eff%20February%202024.pdf
  59. ↑ Md. Code, Criminal Law sec 5-601.2 (cultivating more than 2 plants = misdemeanor, up to 3 years / $5,000); unlicensed commercial manufacture sec 5-603 with penalty sec 5-607(b) (felony, up to 5 years / $15,000) https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gcr&section=5-601.2
  60. ↑ Md. Code, Criminal Law sec 5-602 (distribution / PWID) with penalty sec 5-607(b) (felony, up to 5 years / $15,000); volume dealer sec 5-612 (50 lbs+, mandatory min 5 years / up to $100,000); drug kingpin sec 5-613 (20-40 years / up to $1,000,000) https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gcr&section=5-607
  61. ↑ Md. Code, Criminal Law sec 5-601(c)(2)(ii)2 (civil offense, fine up to $250 for the civil use amount) and sec 5-601(c)(2)(i) (misdemeanor, up to 6 months / $1,000 for amounts above the civil use amount). Personal/civil use amounts defined in Md. Code, Alcoholic Beverages & Cannabis Art. sec 1-301 https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gcr&section=5-601
  62. ↑ Md. Code, Criminal Law sec 5-601(c)(4): smoking cannabis in a public place is a civil offense, fine up to $50 (first finding) and up to $150 (second or subsequent) https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gcr&section=5-601
  63. ↑ Md. Code, Transportation sec 21-902 — Maryland is impairment-based with no per se THC blood limit and no drug zero-tolerance provision; a positive THC test alone is insufficient without proof of impairment https://law.justia.com/codes/maryland/transportation/title-21/subtitle-9/section-21-902/
  64. ↑ Cannabis Reform Act of 2023 and conforming Criminal Law amendments only reduced or decriminalized cannabis penalties for personal-use conduct; no cannabis penalty was increased. Md. Code, Criminal Law sec 5-601 https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gcr&section=5-601
  65. ↑ Comparison of pre-2023 vs current Md. Code, Criminal Law sec 5-601 / sec 5-601.2 — net direction is lighter post-legalization (personal-use legalization, civil penalties, automatic expungement); commercial-supply felonies unchanged https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gcr&section=5-601
  66. ↑ Cannabis Reform Act of 2023 (eff. 7/1/2023): legalized 1.5 oz possession and 2-plant home grow for adults 21+, made 1.5-2.5 oz a $250 civil fine, $50/$150 civil public-smoking fine; Gov. Moore's 6/17/2024 executive order pardoned 175,000 convictions https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gcr&section=5-601
  67. ↑ [SECONDARY] NORML compilation of FBI NIBRS data, Maryland 2024 = 590 marijuana arrests (382 possession + 208 sales). Underlying primary = FBI Crime Data Explorer (NIBRS). NOTE: incomplete agency reporting makes this a floor https://norml.org/marijuana/library/state-marijuana-arrests/maryland-marijuana-arrests/
  68. ↑ [SECONDARY] ACLU 'A Tale of Two Countries' (2020) / ACLU of Maryland — in 2018 (pre-legalization) Black Marylanders were 2.13x more likely than white Marylanders to be arrested for marijuana possession. Underlying primary = FBI/UCR arrest data + Census population. VINTAGE 2018 baseline https://www.aclu.org/report/tale-two-countries-racially-targeted-arrests-era-marijuana-reform
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