Maryland medical cannabis license lawsuit may grow

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A lawsuit targeting Maryland’s highly competitive medical marijuana business license outcome is poised to get a second plaintiff.

The lawsuit, originally filed Sept. 19 in Baltimore Circuit Court by GTI Maryland, alleges that the state commission that awarded the permits in early August broke its own rules during the selection process, and gave licenses to applicants that received lower scores in the evaluation of 145 different companies.

Now, Maryland Cultivation and Processing is making the same argument, and points to the fact that it was “initially among the top 15 applicants,” the Baltimore Sun reported.

Only 15 cultivation licenses are allowed by law, and both companies were not among the winners.

Maryland Cultivation and Processing filed paperwork Wednesday to join the lawsuit, and is hoping the court will grant two of the 15 licenses to it and GTI.

The commission, which awarded the licenses, has said that it gave the two lower-ranked companies licenses because GTI and Maryland Cultivation and Processing were located in geographic areas that already had permit winners. So it was forced to give licenses to lower-scoring companies from the southern part of the state.

The suit could result in further obstacles for the already-delayed rollout of the state’s MMJ industry. Originally, permits were supposed to have been given out in January, but the commission didn’t issue its decision until August.