Maryland regulators have given eight more medical marijuana companies the green light to begin operations, a positive sign for a program that’s been fraught with problems.
According to The Baltimore Sun, the state granted licenses to one cultivator/processor, three processors, two testing labs and two dispensaries:
- Cultivation/processing: Kind Pharmaceuticals USA (Washington County)
- Processing: Pharmaculture Corporation (Allegany), Rosebud Organics (Montgomery) and AFS Maryland (Wicomico)
- Testing: Steep Hill Maryland (Howard) and Atlantic Testing Labs (Anne Arundel)
- Dispensaries: Potomac Holistics (Montgomery) and KNR Holdings (Frederick)
ForwardGro, the first cultivation licensee in the state, sent a testing lab some medical cannabis to “help the facility calibrate its machines,” a company spokeswoman told the newspaper. It’s a step that’s required before any MMJ can be checked for potency and quality and eventually be sold.
All of this is good news for a state that’s encountered multiple delays since a workable MMJ program was approved in 2014 by lawmakers.