Maryland Holds Social Equity Lottery For Cannabis License Applicants

BALTIMORE, MD – Maryland state officials conducted a lottery last week, with the prize being an opportunity to open a cannabis business.

The Maryland Cannabis Administration (MCA) announced that it was holding lottery drawings for what were called social equity applicants and would be selecting up to 179 applicants across over 40 unique lottery pools from more than 1,500 applications that were entered.

Criteria for qualifying for the lottery included having lived in an area that has been disproportionally impacted by the war on drugs for at least five years or attended a public school in a disproportionally affected area.  1,269 applicants were approved, with 84% of them considered minority and women-owned businesses.

“We know businesses are excited to join this growing industry and wish all the qualified social equity applicants good luck in the drawings,” said Maryland Cannabis Administration Director Will Tilburg.

There were 873 applicants for standard and micro dispensaries, 449 for standard and micro growers, and 192 for standard and microprocessors.

Montgomery County has the largest number of applicants who met the minimum requirements for licensing with 89 applicants with Prince George’s County second with 87.

Following the lottery, the MCA is conducting an investigation to verify material aspects of each selected applicant before they are awarded a conditional license. As part of the review process the Administration will verify any claims regarding social equity ownership and control made in the application.

All lottery procedures were developed in partnership with the Maryland State Lottery and Gaming Control Agency.

Maryland’s recreational marijuana market began last July, when medical marijuana companies were allowed to transition their medical licenses into adult-use licenses. By December, those companies had reported nearly $332 million in adult-use sales.

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