Maryland officials have announced the winners of a first-of-its-kind marijuana licensing lottery for social equity applicants across all license categories, approving 174 growers, processors and dispensaries.
The Maryland Cannabis Administration (MCA) held the lottery last month. As the state approaches the one-year anniversary of the first adult-use marijuana sales, regulators took to social media on Tuesday to tout the fact that they’ve now completed “the first application round in the nation that is designated exclusively for social equity applicants across all license types and categories.”
“The social equity license lottery expands Maryland’s cannabis industry and provides social equity businesses with new economic opportunities in the State,” MCA Director Will Tilburg said. “I would like to thank the Moore-Miller Administration, the Maryland General Assembly and the Office of Social Equity for their continued support in this process.”
MCA Office of Social Equity Executive Director Audrey Johnson said the lottery results “affirm our commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion within the cannabis industry.”
“We are proud to see a significant representation of Black individuals, as well as women, among the selected applicants,” she said. “This milestone underscores our ongoing dedication to providing access for Marylanders who were most harmed by the war on drugs.”
Maryland regulators have consistently promoted the state’s equity-centered approach to implementing legalization, which included exclusively opening up initial licensing applications to businesses owned by people who’ve lived in a designated “disproportionately impacted area” for at least five years.
Prior to the application round, MCA launched an online portal that allowed people to check their eligibility for a social equity marijuana business license before regulators started approving them. (Full Story)