Maryland

Maryland blazes into recreational cannabis sales with parties, promotions and eager consumers

Published

1 year ago

July 1, 2023

Maryland blazes into recreational cannabis sales with parties, promotions and eager consumers

Dorian Williams has been curious about marijuana dispensaries dotting the Baltimore region for years. On Saturday morning, the 30-year-old shipping manager stepped inside one for the first time.

“I’m excited to see what it looks like inside,” said the Towson resident as he waited to walk into Far & Dotter in Timonium. “It seems so inviting.”

Maryland blazed into a new era Saturday, the first day of legal recreational marijuana sales. People thronged dispensaries across the state, eager to see, learn about and try the products that people over 21 with a state-issued ID are now able to purchase. Several cannabis-themed events are planned for the weekend, including Puff Fest at Power Plant Live! in Baltimore and a three-day music festival in Western Maryland.

At Far & Dotter, the flagship retail location of the Curio Wellness brand of marijuana, members of the Bronfein family, who own and operate the business, were joined for a ribbon-cutting by State Sen. Chris West, who represents the area, and Brent Howard, president of the Baltimore County Chamber of Commerce.

“It’s a new industry with new opportunities for small business and new jobs,” said Howard. “Our legislature has been really thoughtful in planning to go about this.”

Wendy Bronfein, Curio’s chief brand officer and director of public policy, said the company had been preparing for recreational marijuana sales since voters approved the referendum by a 2-to-1 margin last November.

“We started the year with 250 employees and we now have 320,” said Bronfein. “We have 30 openings right now and we anticipate hiring up to 60 people by the end of the year.”

Bronfein said Curio began ramping up production in January in the massive Timonium warehouse where the cannabis plants are cultivated. They have also increased production at the Cockeysville plant where workers make tinctures, pre-rolled joints, and weed-infused gummies, chocolates and topical lotions.

At Far & Dotter, as at other dispensaries, one register is devoted to existing medical marijuana patients. Those who have a state-issued medical marijuana card are able to purchase larger quantities and higher concentrations of products. State law effective Saturday requires dispensaries give priority service to medical patients either by providing a separate line or reserving dedicated shopping hours.

General consumers are now able to purchase up to 1.5 ounces of cannabis flower, 12 grams of concentrated cannabis or cannabis products that include up to 750 mg of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.

At Liberty dispensary in Hampden, Ray D. waited in line to pick up cannabis for his daughter, who uses it to manage pain. The 59-year-old declined to provide his last name because he works for the federal government. Federal employees are barred from using cannabis.

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Ray said he was looking for an edible that contained both CBD, a non-psychoactive hemp compound often used to relieve pain, and THC. He said his daughter wanted to manage her painful chronic condition while avoiding opioids.

At Gold Leaf dispensary in Annapolis, marketing manager Bri Anderson said she was expecting a “massive” influx of customers this weekend and that there was a nervous excitement in the air for her and the 160 employees working at the store.

Many people waiting in line there Saturday were hesitant to share their name with a reporter because they didn’t want their employer to know they were buying pot.

One Gold Leaf customer, Heidi Sahmel, said the stigma around marijuana use should end. ”I think that some of us are going to have to be those first folks to put ourselves out there and say that we’re for this, we support everyone here and we’re really excited,” she said. “This is such a positive change.”

The 37-year-old, who works in finance and has two master’s degrees, said it’s time to stop “looping cannabis in with other Schedule 1 narcotics.”

At Zen Leaf in Elkridge, the sight of eager customers made vice president of national retail Josh Kudish emotional. He grew up in the area and remembers when the building that now houses the dispensary was a bank.

Jack Edwards, the Maryland retail director at Zen Leaf, cuts the opening day ribbon at the Elkridge store alongside Lori Kleppin and Josh Kudish. (Penelope Blackwell)

“You can’t compare anything to this moment,” said Kudish. “I would never imagine that the place that I was going to get my groceries, my bagel, would have the opportunity for me to shop safely and have access to the plant in the way that we do now. It couldn’t be more gratifying.”

Ken Blackford, 60, was the first customer at Zen Leaf. He drove down from Baltimore City to purchase his flower and vape products. The long-time cannabis user said Saturday felt like Christmas. He hadn’t been in a dispensary since his medical card expired last year.

“I’m just happy to be here today,” said Blackford.

At Liberty in Hampden, 23-year-old Ray Smith smiled as he waited in line.

The self-described “pretty solid pothead” said he was happy to be able to buy marijuana from a store during business hours and know that the products were of high quality and had been approved by state inspectors.

“I just think we feel a bit more free to do the things that we enjoy doing,” he said.

Smith said he uses cannabis for “recreational use and amusement, also for like … self medicating, for like things like anxiety and stress that I’m dealing with on a daily. But I just kind of incorporate it into my routine to where I’m still productive and functional.”

”But again,” he added, “I still love me some marijuana.”

julie.scharper@thebaltimorebanner.com

brenda.wintrode@thebaltimorebanner.com

penelope.blackwell@thebaltimorebanner.com

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Maryland

How to watch Michigan State vs. Maryland (9/7/24): TV channel, kickoff time, live stream

Published

6 hours ago

September 7, 2024

Press Room

How to watch Michigan State vs. Maryland (9/7/24): TV channel, kickoff time, live stream

Michigan State got the job done in its season opener, but it wasn’t pretty as it hung on at home against Florida Atlantic. Now, it has to head on the road to open Big Ten play in what promises to be a tougher test.

· Watch the Michigan State Spartans on FuboTV (free trial)

· Watch the Michigan State Spartans on Sling

· Watch the Michigan State Spartans on DirecTV Stream

· Visit MLive’s Betting Home for latest odds & sportsbook promos

Michigan State is 1-0, but the road gets tougher now. The Spartans go on the road and start Big Ten play early in Week 2 with a trip to Maryland. The Terrapins have a new look this year without quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa but looked strong in their season-opener against Howard last week.

· Who: Michigan State at Maryland

· When: 3:30 p.m.

· Where: SECU Stadium, College Park, Maryland

· Twitter: Follow Matt Wenzel

· Live updates: Beginning at 2:30 p.m. at mlive.com/spartans

· Latest line: Maryland -9.5

TV Network: Big Ten Network

Streaming options:

· FuboTV is offering $30 off the first month for all U.S. plans. Sign up to get your favorite TV shows, live sports events, and much more

· Sling currently has an offer of $20 for the first month of subscription and has streaming coverage of live sports, news and entertainment.

· DirecTV Stream offers live sports, news and on demand TV.

Five must-reads before kickoff:

* Michigan State lost two members of its secondary, Dillon Tatum and Khalil Majeed, to long-term injuries in its season opener. The team is turning to some new faces to fill in the holes from those injuries.

* Alex VanSumeren was once Michigan State’s top-rated recruit, but he’s been seldom seen on the field due to injuries. Now, though, he’s healthy and making his mark on the Spartans’ defensive line.

* Aidan Chiles’ 10-completion, two-interception performance in Michigan State’s season-opener was his “floor,” according to offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren, who has a plan to improve the quarterback’s performance going forward.

* Jonathan Smith had a name for Week 1 in college football: overreaction Saturday. He’s cautioning fans not to put too much stock into an opening performance that likely underwhelmed many.

* The run game and discipline are two of Matt Wenzel’s five things to watch in this week’s matchup.

Michigan State

* Passing: Aidan Chiles 10-14, 114 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT

* Rushing: Kay’ron Lynch-Adams 9 rush, 101 yards, 1 TD

* Receiving: Michael Masunas 2 rec., 29 yards, 0 TD

* Tackles: Angelo Grose 12

* Sacks: Khris Bogle 1.5

* Interceptions: Grose, Nikai Martinez 1

Maryland

* Passing: Billy Edwards Jr. 20-27, 311 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT

* Rushing: Roman Hemby 14 rush, 66 yards, 1 TD

* Receiving: Tai Felton 7 rec., 178 yards, 2 TD

* Tackles: Glendon Miller 6

* Sacks: None

* Interceptions: Ruben Hyppolite II, Miller 1

Friday, Sept. 6

Western Illinois at Indiana

Duke at Northwestern

Saturday, Sept. 7

Texas at Michigan, noon (FOX)

Rhode Island at Minnesota, noon (Peacock)

Bowling Green at Penn State, noon (BTN)

Akron at Rutgers, noon (BTN)

Iowa State at Iowa, 3:30 p.m. (CBS)

Michigan State at Maryland, 3:30 p.m. (BTN)

Eastern Michigan at Washington, 3:30 p.m. (BTN)

South Dakota at Wisconsin, 3:30 p.m. (FS1)

Kansas at Illinois, 7 p.m. (FS1)

Colorado at Nebraska, 7:30 p.m. (NBC)

Western Michigan at Ohio State, 7:30 p.m. (BTN)

Boise State at Oregon, 10 p.m. (Peacock)

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Maryland

Pre-Snap Read: Michigan State vs Maryland

Published

12 hours ago

September 7, 2024

Press Room

Pre-Snap Read: Michigan State vs Maryland

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Michigan State has an excellent chance to make a strong statement this weekend that the rebuilding job under new head coach Jonathan Smith is ahead of schedule, if the Spartans can take down 8-point favorite Maryland on Saturday.
A Michigan State victory would be a strong statement within the football industry, but maybe not as strong from a fan perspective. I’m not sure Maryland’s football brand is as respected in the state of Michigan and regionally as it should be, for a program that has gone 8-5 in the past two seasons and defeated Auburn and North Carolina State in bowl games the past two years.
Maryland is good. The Terrapins are coming off a 50-7 victory over a weak UConn team last week. Maryland’s offense looked very good against a weak, soft, conservative UConn defense.
Michigan State’s defense was ahead of schedule last week against a mediocre Florida Atlantic offense. Michigan State’s offense was behind schedule, experiencing inconsistent accuracy and decision-making at the quarterback position, which was somewhat understandable considering it was sophomore Aidan Chiles’ first start as a college player. MSU’s running game also lacked consistency, especially in short yardage and in the red zone.
The big news from Maryland last week in my opinion was the excellent play of new starting quarterback Billy Edwards. The 6-foot-3, 222-pound redshirt-junior had waited behind the outgoing, record-breaking Taulia Tagovailoa for three years. Tagovailoa left Maryland as the Big Ten’s all-time passing leader. He went undrafted and is now playing in the CFL.
Edwards looked good last week. He’s strong in the pocket, is a physical ball carrier on designed runs or scrambles. He was accurate over the middle on intermediate routes, and seemed to do a good job processing coverages, although UConn’s coverages were simple, slow and soft.
I saw this Michigan State vs Maryland game as a swing game on the schedule prior to the season. But considering how well Edwards and his receivers looked last week, and Michigan State’s sputtering start on offense, this game goes from being a swing game to uphill slog for the Spartans.

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Maryland

Student shot in Joppatowne, Maryland high school

Published

20 hours ago

September 6, 2024

Press Room

Student shot in Joppatowne, Maryland high school

One teen shot another during a dispute in a Maryland high school bathroom Friday in what authorities called an isolated incident.

The victim, a 15-year-old student at Joppatowne High School, was in serious condition after being airlifted to a hospital, the Harford County Public Schools said in a news release, citing information it received from the county sheriff’s department.

A 16-year-old student whom police identified as the shooter fled shortly afterward but was caught minutes later nearby, according to the news release. Officials said no information would be released immediately about the weapon, which had not been recovered.

The state’s attorney has said the suspect will be charged, the release said, citing Harford County Sheriff Jeff Gahler.

Shortly after the shooting, the sheriff’s office asked people to avoid the area, but emphasized that the confrontation was an “isolated incident, not an active shooter.” A parent-student reunification center was established at a nearby church. More than 100 personnel responded to the high school about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northeast of Baltimore, Gahler said.

The fight happened two days after a shooter whom authorities identified as a 14-year-old student killed four people at a high school outside Atlanta. Wednesday’s attack renewed debate about safe storage laws for guns and had parents wondering how to talk to their children about school shootings and trauma.

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