Maryland starts growing first medical marijuana crops

At least two of Maryland’s 15 licensed medical marijuana producers have started growing their plants, giving some badly needed good news to the state’s embattled MMJ program.

ForwardGro has been posting photos of its plants on Instagram, and Curio Wellness has also planted seeds, The Washington Post reported.

That news comes a week after MMJ regulators approving licenses for three more cultivators, two processors and one testing lab.

Curio plans to have MMJ products like tinctures available by mid-December, CEO Michael Bronfein told the newspaper. ForwardGro executives declined to say when they would be able to sell goods to dispensaries.

The Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission (MMCC) has given preliminary approval to roughly 100 dispensaries in the state, but the Wellness Institute of Maryland is the only one to receive a final license. The other dispensaries have until December to prove they are ready to do business and provide final documentation.

So far, nearly 13,000 patients have signed up to be able to purchase marijuana and 428 health-care providers have registered for the program, according to the Post.

Though Maryland has stumbled over issues such as diversity in trying to get its medical marijuana program up and running, “this program is launched now,” Patrick Jameson, executive director of the commission, told the newspaper.

“The market will determine how this moves forward.”