Since Maryland’s adult-use cannabis market launched on July 1, 2023, state-licensed retailers have sold more than $1.1 billion in medical and recreational marijuana.
Recreational marijuana sales surpassed $700 million in the past 12 months and MMJ sales almost hit $400 million, Bethesda TV station WTTG reported, citing data from the Maryland Cannabis Administration (MCA).
That total includes $95 million in marijuana sales in June, including $67 million in adult-use transactions.
“Our new adult-use cannabis market isn’t only generating extraordinary economic activity – it’s also helping us build new pathways to work, wages, and wealth for all,” Gov. Wes Moore said in a statement.
Maryland’s cannabis program has been notable for other reasons, too. State regulators have established:
- What is purportedly the first “state cannabis reference laboratory” in the United States, WTTG reported. The laboratory, which focuses on marijuana oversight, is managed by the MCA.
- A Cannabis Workforce Development Program, which the state also claims is a U.S. first. The program, established in June in partnership with the Maryland Department of Labor, prioritizes workforce training for individuals with marijuana-related offenses.
In a sign of Maryland’s growing cannabis market, the MCA has roughly doubled its staff, from 50 people to more than 100, the Rutherford-based Shore News Network reported.
Maryland voters approved an adult-use market in November 2022.
The governor signed into law regulations for the adult-use market in May 2023, and sales began two months later.
