A marijuana cultivation company that was bumped from among the initial 15 winning applicants for a Maryland grower’s license is suing the state’s Medical Cannabis Commission.
The case could further delay the rollout of the Maryland medical marijuana program, which already is several months behind its originally anticipated launch.
The commission said it bumped GTI Maryland in a bid to broaden the geographic diversity of the state’s MMJ program, as required by law, the Baltimore Sun reported.
Another company, Maryland Cultivation and Processing, was the lowest of three original winners in Frederick County, in the northern part of the state, and also was bumped from the winners’ group.
The two companies moved into the group of winning applicants were Shore Natural Rx and Holistic Industries.
Ten of the original 15 winners were from the north-central part of the state, while the southern and western parts of the state were left underserved, according to The Washington Post.
“This is a case about a state commission setting rules and then inexplicably failing to follow them,” said Philip M. Andrews, a Baltimore lawyer representing GTI Maryland.
