Maryland's Medical Marijuana Process Slow Going

By Daniel Kerry, CAPITAL NEWS SERVICE

After Maryland is given the OK from the federal government, patients will be able to walk into a dispensary, show their card to the retailer and pick up their medical marijuana prescription.

But before then, there is a complex process between the time a marijuana seed is planted and when the consumer picks up a prescription at the counter. That whole intermediate process is one of the factors delaying Maryland’s implementation of medical marijuana.

Since September 2013, the state’s medical marijuana commission has held 15 meetings to discuss details about Maryland’s future medical cannabis industry. Dispensers, growers and patients in need of medicinal marijuana are growing more and more restless with each passing commission meeting.

“I can see recreational marijuana being legalized before medical marijuana is finalized in Maryland,” said Judy Pentz, executive director of the state chapter of NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws). “The commission seems stuck in the reefer madness era.”

Sharon Bloom, executive director of the commission, said the wait is for a valid reason.

“There are no obstacles blocking us, only a regulatory process that needs to be followed and the informal process prior,” Bloom said. The commission is still working on the “informal process” of getting Maryland’s medical marijuana industry plans and regulations straightened out before they are sent to the federal government.

“If we do a job that the (U.S.) attorney general and the (Drug Enforcement Agency) reject, we’re back to ground zero,” said Eric Sterling, a member of the commission and a lawyer with over 30 years of experience working on medical marijuana issues.

Maryland is one of 23 states in which medical marijuana is legal.

According to the commission’s latest draft of regulations, grower application fees in Maryland are not to exceed $6,000, but annual license fees for growers are $125,000. Licensing fees for dispensaries are $40,000 a year.

In Colorado, the application fees for dispensaries can be as high as $15,000, depending on what type of distributor it is. Licensing fees can cost up to $13,200.

In Washington state, marijuana producers must pay an annual fee of $1,000 and a $250 application fee. Retailers must pay the same fees.

Though a few members of the commission admitted Maryland’s fees seem high, especially for small businesses, Bloom maintained they are not negotiable.

“We need to have the money to support our program,” Bloom said. “These fees are in line with other states with a similar number of dispensers. We were given a rather limited budget and we’re doing the best we can.”

The commission is working with a $745,700 budget for the current fiscal year, according to legislative services. This budget does not include any revenue from dispensaries, as none have opened yet.

Maryland plans to implement a sales tax on medical marijuana, but the exact percentage has yet to be determined.

The commission anticipates 44 operating dispensaries in Maryland once the program is up and running.

Distribution of medical marijuana in Maryland is not expected to start until early 2016.

Cannabis buds with potency testing results on display at a dispensary. Photo Credit: Sonya Yruel/Drug Policy Alliance.