Maryland Cannabis Commission Seeks Diversity Requirements for Cannabis License Applications
This week, the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission plans to meet with Attorney General Brian E. Frosh on the topic of cannabis and diversity in regards to medical cannabis licenses.
According to The Baltimore Sun, the 30 or so companies that the Medical Cannabis Commission has given licenses to so far, for growing or processing cannabis, were awarded to Caucasian men. The publication also notes than an estimated 1/3 of the Maryland population is African-American. So far, another 811 applications have been received for the 94 dispensary licenses that have yet to be awarded. Currently, the process does not look at the identity of the applicants when considering them for a license.
Medical Cannabis Commission Chairman Paul Davies, alongside Executive Director Patrick Jameson, are set to meet with Attorney General Frosh on how best to make the “winners” of those licenses more racially diverse. “We want to achieve as much minority participation as absolutely possible,” Davies stated.
Considering race for these medical cannabis company licenses was originally included in the law’s text that would legalize the medical cannabis industry in Maryland. However, the section concerning race was deemed unconstitutional and the commission removed the requirement.
The process begins by removing all identifying information of the applicant. All applications are then reviewed and ranked by Towson University’s Regional Economic Studies Institute, who sends that information to the Medical Cannabis Commission where applicants are chosen and voted for.
So far, the commission has received 146 applications for licenses to grow medical cannabis, and an additional 124 applications to process medical cannabis. With time, many more discussions such as these will help diversify the chosen medical cannabis licensed applicants in Maryland.
