Maryland

Maryland marks 1 year of legal recreational marijuana through pardons and explosive growth

Published

2 years ago

July 1, 2024

Maryland marks 1 year of legal recreational marijuana through pardons and explosive growth

BALTIMORE — Maryland raked in more than $14 million in taxes for marijuana sales within the first three months alone this year, and sales are growing as the state marks the first anniversary of legal recreational cannabis use.

The high life is good for Connor Whelton, who is one of the founders and CEO of ReLeaf, a marijuana dispensary on Cathedral Street in Baltimore.

“First of all, I had a passion for the product, and I come from a time when it was heavily stigmatized,” Whelton said. “The use of this equaled you not being successful, and I wanted to challenge those misconceptions because I was meeting really fine people who used the product.”

Maryland raked in more than $14 million in taxes for marijuana sales within the first three months alone this year.

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Meeting consumers where they are

Whelton’s team came up with innovative ways to get the product to customers, from home deliveries to a walk-up window—or you can just browse the menu in the store.

“I saw this incredible opportunity coming to Maryland and quickly went to work on it, and it feels like the blink of an eye later here we are,” he said.

As the stigma over marijuana use wanes, Whelton is seeing a new customer base.

“We are definitely seeing more first-time users, which is creating this infectious enthusiasm for people who come in and are just appreciative of being here, Whelton told WJZ. “And you’re also seeing more acceptance of people who would normally have never tried this as an option. Where they had surgery on their ankle, they’re not going to use an opioid. They’re going to try some gummies and see how that makes them feel.”

With recreational marijuana now legal in 24 states, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is moving to reclassify the drug to a less dangerous category under the Controlled Substances Act.

This comes as daily marijuana users now outnumber daily drinkers for the first time ever, according to a report from researchers at Carnegie Mellon University.

The change in preference is largely being driven by young people.

Of people aged 18 to 24, 69% prefer marijuana to alcohol, according to a 2022 survey by New Frontier Data, a cannabis research firm.

One year later In Maryland

Maryland legalized recreational use on July 1st, 2023.

The excitement caused some to line up in anticipation, and the state has already seen recreational outpace medical cannabis purchases.

“From last July until the end of May, the industry has done about $1 billion in sales. Now, we can confidently say this is a billion-dollar market,” Whelton said.

Following the money

In April alone, the state recorded $63 million in recreational sales compared to $30 million in medical out of a total $462 million in overall sales so far this year.

From January through March, Maryland collected $14.6 million in sales taxes, according to the comptroller’s office.

The D.C. region is responsible for the biggest chunk, $6.7 million, followed by the Baltimore region at $3.7 million.

More than $4 million will be reinvested in lower-income neighborhoods most impacted by the War on Drugs.

“We view it as one of the most successful market launches in the ten-year history of legal cannabis sales. Maryland sales have more than doubled since the adult-use market was launched,” said Ben Burstein, from Leaf Link, which runs a wholesale marketplace.

Retail prices In Maryland

Burstein said retail prices tend to be a bit higher in Maryland. The state dashboard says the median price per gram is $9.64.

“Back last summer, Maryland had the highest prices per unit in the entire country…That’s started to come down, but it’s still relatively high compared to most states,” Burstein said. “As you get more capacity, prices are going to continue to decline.”

Governor Moore’s pardons

Maryland recently made national headlines when Governor Wes Moore pardoned more than 175,000 people convicted of low-level possession charges.

They included Shiloh Jordan, who lost his job at the time, but has since picked himself back up.

“It felt crazy because I was like I’m not even a criminal, I could see if I was a bad guy doing bad stuff, but I’m like, this isn’t even my MO,” Jordan told CBS News. “…I felt defeated at the time…but when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Now I’m here. I made lemonade.”

A program even aims to help those once convicted get jobs in the cannabis industry.

Equity in cannabis

The state made equity a centerpiece of its licensing.

Maryland became the first state in the nation to open a cannabis licensing round exclusively for qualifying social equity applicants in all license types.

“Maryland is issuing social equity licenses. You have 150 stories that are going to come online,” Burstein said. “You have stores in all the major metro areas. You have pretty good coverage of the rural areas. In Maryland today, you have a state that’s No. 9 in total sales across the U.S. that’s only going to continue growing.”

New competition

Whelton welcomes the competition as more dispensaries open.

“That competition is a healthy competition because of the numbers,” Whelton said. “As a result, the product quality that you’re getting here is very high compared to some other states. Some states have so many licenses that nobody is making it, and the quality of product suffers or taxes are so high that you can’t overcome that and pay for keeping the doors open.”

Whelton said many licenses are operated by people who left other lives “to pour themselves into this, and it is complicated and challenging.”

He’s in it for the long haul as Maryland’s recreational cannabis industry celebrates a milestone first anniversary with high expectations for the future.

“I wouldn’t say anyone has necessarily made it yet. We are making it. We are working on it actively, but again we are big believers in what Maryland is doing,” Whelton said.

Mike Hellgren

WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren came to WJZ in the spring of 2004. Solid reporting credentials and a reputation for breaking important news stories have characterized Mike’s work. Mike holds a B.S. degree in journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and grew up partly in both Chicago and Louisiana.

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Maryland

Maryland, California men plead guilty in auto-repair shop drug trafficking case

Published

9 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Maryland, California men plead guilty in auto-repair shop drug trafficking case

MARYLAND (WBFF) — A Maryland man and his California accomplice both pled guilty to drug trafficking charges involving the concealment of drugs within auto parts at a repair shop, the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday.

Authorities reported that Norville Clarke, 56, of Clarksburg, Maryland, and Daniel Cruz, 39, of Los Angeles, California, were charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.

In 2023, an investigation targeted a drug trafficking organization that was transporting and distributing large quantities of cocaine from California to Maryland.

The investigation began after police seized a parcel containing approximately two kilograms of cocaine that was mailed from Los Angeles with an intended delivery to Clarke’s auto-repair shop in District Heights, Maryland.

ALSO READ | Gwynn Oak man sentenced to 3 years in federal prison for passport fraud, ID theft

During the investigation, Cruz was linked to the narcotics in the parcel, as well as to its source, authorities reported.

In January 2024, postal inspectors, along with other investigators, identified a freight shipment from Los Angeles intended for delivery at Clarke’s auto-repair shop, and officials said surveillance footage showed Cruz dropping off that shipment at a shipping company in California.

After that, authorities observed Cruz traveling to Maryland to track the shipment’s delivery.

Cruz and Clarke were then seen by investigators meeting at the auto-repair shop several days after the shipment occurred.

Investigators tracked the fright shipment to Dulles, Virginia, where authorities executed a search warrant and recovered two automobile transmissions inside, as well as 20 one-kilogram bricks secreted in both transmissions.

Officials reported that laboratory forensic tests confirmed that the bricks were over 16 kilograms of cocaine.

A search warrant was then also executed for Clarke’s District Heights auto-repair shop, Clarke’s Clarksburg residence, and Cruz’s hotel room in Capitol Heights, Maryland.

ALSO READ | Baltimore man sentenced to over 10 years for gun, ammunition possession as felon

At the auto repair shop, officials recovered 502.4 grams of cocaine, and then at Clarke’s residence, officers found two-kilogram bricks of cocaine and $45,730 in cash.

Furthermore, investigators later found another nine historical freight shipments that resembled the original shipment containing cocaine, which Cruz sent to Clarke’s auto repair shop.

In plea agreements, officials said both defendants agreed to have been involved in possessing around 22 kilograms of cocaine in furtherance of the drug trafficking conspiracy.

Both also face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum life in prison, followed by up to a lifetime of supervised release

Cruz’s sentencing is scheduled for Thursday, June 18, at 1 p.m., and the sentencing for Clarke is scheduled for Friday, July 24, at 10 a.m.

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Maryland

‘Born to be resilient’; Maryland native living in Israel watches war unfold

Published

21 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

‘Born to be resilient’; Maryland native living in Israel watches war unfold

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (7News) — The State Department is securing military planes and charter flights for Americans to return home from the Middle East, officials announced Tuesday.

More than 9,000 people have left over the past few days, including 3,000 from Israel, according to a press release.

However, some Americans are staying put. That includes one young woman who is now living through her second war abroad.

ALSO READ | Middle East expert says uncertain future in Iran could be just as dangerous

“It’s a big decision to move across the world,” Rachel Cone said. She spoke with 7News’ Lianna Golden via Zoom from her home near Jerusalem.

The 28-year-old from Darnestown wasn’t afraid to leave the life she always knew.

“I grew up on a small farm in Montgomery County,” Cone said. “I spent my whole life there, the youngest of four kids, spent most of my life riding horses all around the DMV.”

Soon after college, she found her calling.

I decided to fulfill that dream, really live a Jewish life in the Jewish homeland.

Cone moved to Israel only six months before the Oct. 7, 2023, attack. So when she heard the sirens go off on Saturday morning after the joint attack on Iran, waking up to an emergency alert on her phone, she knew what was coming next.

“It was saying like, hey, this is your warning. The attack is starting. Go make sure you’re in your safe space.”

She says the sirens sound very often.

“A lot, a lot. I don’t know how many; there’s been a lot,” Cone explained.

The DMV native said she’s learned to stay calm in chaos, even when others are afraid.

Today I had to go to the grocery store. It wasn’t like I was doing anything crazy. There’s a siren – OK, all of a sudden you have a bunch of people all together, a bunch of strangers, and yeah, some people panic. Some people are calm. Some stranger you’ve never met is telling everyone hey it’s okay, calm down… Living in Israel teaches you a lot about resilience. The people here who have grown up their whole life here, they’re just born to be resilient.

It’s a resilience she sends back home.

“When you live in a war zone, every parent is concerned, even more so when they’re not here. I’m always sending my family pictures of like, hey, I’m still going outside, like I’m still seeing the sun. I’m not locked inside, like it’s OK. Everything is OK,” Cone said.

As the conflict continues, she prays for harmony while uncertainty grows.

“We want to see people of every faith, obviously living the life that they wanna live and not succumbing to any sort of terror,” Cone said. “Let’s work towards peace, and let’s try to see that happen. This is a start for sure.”

Dylan Johnson, Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs, said American citizens should call 1-202-501-4444 for assistance with departure options.

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Maryland

Top 25 Maryland Boys High School Basketball State Rankings – March 3, 2026

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

With a chance to make history, Our Lady of Mount Carmel is the new No. 1 team in the High School on SI Maryland boys basketball Top 25 rankings.

The Cougars (30-10) will try for a second straight Baltimore Catholic League (BCL) Tournament championship Wednesday evening against Saint Frances Academy at Loyola University of Maryland. No team has won the BCL tourney and the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) A Conference titles in back-to-back seasons.

The MIAA, whose membership includes most of the private and parochial schools in the Baltimore metro area, started in 1995 following the dissolution of the Maryland Scholastic Association (MSA). The MSA governed athletic competition for Baltimore public and private and parochial schools before the public schools left to join the Maryland state public athletic association (MPSSAA) in 1992.

Saint Frances, last week’s No. 1 which lost to Mount Carmel in the MIAA A final, is No. 2. DeMatha Catholic, Mount Saint Joseph and Springdale Prep round out the Top 5.

The second 5 includes Charles Herbert Flowers, Mount Zion Prep Academy, Bishop McNamara, Georgetown Prep and Archbishop Spalding. Lackey, which won the Southern Maryland Athletic Conference title last week, returns to poll at No. 21.

In addition to the BCL Tournament finale, the Maryland Private Schools State Tournament continues with the Division A semifinals Tuesday at DeMatha with Bishop McNamara taking on Springdale Prep, and DeMatha playing defending champ and No. 17 Clinton Grace Christian School.

No. 16 Takoma Academy plays Saint James School in a Division B semifinal. The state public playoffs continue with region semifinal and final competition.

Here’s this week’s High School on SI Maryland boys basketball Top 25:

Previous rank: No. 3

Record: 30-10

The Cougars defeated No. 4 Mount Saint Joseph, 59-40, in the Baltimore Catholic League Tournament semifinals and Saint Mary’s in the quarterfinals (53-46) after a 69-67 overtime victory over then-No. 1 Saint Frances Academy in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) A Conference final at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County.

Previous rank: No. 1

Record: 35-7

The Panthers defeated then-No. 13 Archbishop Spalding, 61-58, in the Baltimore Catholic League Tournament semifinals and Loyola Blakefield in the quarterfinals (74-57), after a loss to then-No. 3 Our Lady of Mount Carmel in the MIAA A Conference title game.

Previous rank: No. 2

Record: 22-9

The Stags defeated then-No. 9 Glenelg Country School, 63-50, in the Maryland Private School State Tournament Division A quarterfinals.

Previous rank: No. 4

Record: 31-7

The Gaels lost then-No. 3 Our Lady of Mount Carmel in the Baltimore Catholic League Tournament semifinals after a 80-66 win over Calvert Hall College in the quarterfinals.

SEASON COMPLETE – BALTIMORE CATHOLIC LEAGUE TOURNAMENT & MARYLAND INTERSCHOLASTIC ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION A CONFERENCE SEMIFINALIST

Previous rank: No. 6

Record: 26-5

The Lions defeated No. 7 Mount Zion Prep Academy, 67-63, in the Maryland Private School State Division A semifinals.

Previous rank: No. 8

Record: 21-0

The Jaguars defeated Largo, 62-57, in the Prince George’s County championship game.

Previous rank: No. 7

Record: 19-6

The Warriors lost to then-No. 6 Springdale Prep in the Maryland Private School State Division A quarterfinals

SEASON COMPLETE – MARYLAND PRIVATE SCHOOL STATE TOURNAMENT DIVISION A QUARTERFINALIST

Previous rank: No. 12

Record: 14-19

The Mustangs defeated then-No. 5 Georgetown Prep, 59-53, in the Maryland Private Schools State Division A quarterfinals and Saint Andrew’s Episcopal School in the opening round.

Previous rank: No. 5

Record: 17-9

The Little Hoyas lost to then-No. 12 Bishop McNamara in the Maryland Private School State Tournament Division A quarterfinals.

SEASON COMPLETE – INTERSTATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE CHAMPION & MARYLAND PRIVATE SCHOOL STATE TOURNAMENT DIVISION A QUARTERFINALIST

Previous rank: No. 13

Record: 20-14

The Cavaliers lost to then-No. 1 Saint Frances Academy in the Baltimore Catholic League Tournament semifinals after a 74-53 win over then-No. 10 John Carroll School in the quarterfinals.

SEASON COMPLETE – BALTIMORE CATHOLIC LEAGUE TOURNAMENT & MARYLAND INTERSCHOLASTIC ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION A CONFERENCE SEMIFINALIST

Previous rank: No. 9

Record: 17-10

The Dragons lost to then-No. 2 DeMatha Catholic in the quarterfinals of the Maryland Private School State Division A tournament after an 81-77 opening round win over then-No. 15 Our Lady of Good Counsel.

SEASON COMPLETE – MARYLAND INTERSCHOLASTIC ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION A CONFERENCE SEMIFINALIST & MARYLAND PRIVATE SCHOOL STATE TOURNAMENT DIVISION A QUARTERFINALIST

Previous rank: No. 14

Record: 23-1

The Mustangs defeated Severn Run, 72-49, in the Maryland Class 4A East Region I semifinals.

Previous rank: No. 16

Record: 20-3

The Bengals defeated Springbrook, 85-66, in the Maryland Class 4A North Region II semifinals after beating Walt Whitman, 67-55, in the Montgomery County championship game.

Previous rank: No. 17

Record: 20-2

The Colonels defeated Rockville, 74-61, in the Maryland Class 3A West Region II semifinals.

Previous rank: No. 19

Record: 21-3

The Knights defeated Northeast, 73-61, in the Maryland Class 3A East Region I semifinals and Edmondson-Westside, 66-58, in the Baltimore City final.

Previous rank: No. 18

Record: 26-7

The Tigers defeated Hebrew Academy, 88-33, in the Maryland Private School State Division B quarterfinals.

Previous rank: No. 24

Record: 27-18

The Eagles defeated then-No. 11 Bullis School, 56-48, in the Maryland Private School State Division A quarterfinals.

Previous rank: No. 10

Record: 22-10

The Patriots lost to then-No. 13 Archbishop Spalding in the quarterfinals of the Baltimore Catholic League Tournament.

Previous rank: No. 13

Record: 20-10

The Bulldogs lost to then-No. 24 Clinton Grace Christian School in the Maryland Private Schools State Division A quarterfinals after defeating then-No. 22 Riverdale Baptist School in the first round.

SEASON COMPLETE – INTERSTATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE SEMIFINALIST & MARYLAND PRIVATE SCHOOL STATE TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINALIST

Previous rank: No. 15

Record: 15-14

The Falcons lost to No. 9 Glenelg Country School in the opening round of the Maryland Private School State Tournament.

WASHINGTON CATHOLIC ATHLETIC CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT PARTICIPANT & MARYLAND PRIVATE SCHOOL STATE TOURNAMENT DIVISION A PARTIPICANT

Previous rank: Not ranked

Record: 20-3

The Chargers defeated Maurice J. McDonough, 61-46, in the Maryland Class 2A South Region II semifinals and then-No. 20 Great Mills, 62-59, in the Southern Maryland Athletic Conference (SMAC) championship game.

Previous rank: No. 20

Record: 21-3

The Hornets defeated Saint Charles, 70-54, in the Maryland Class 3A South Region II semifinals, and lost to Lackey in the SMAC title game.

Previous rank: No. 21

Record: 16-14

SEASON COMPLETE – METRO PRIVATE SCHOOL CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALIST

Previous rank: No. 22

Record: 15-11

The Crusaders lost to then-No. 11 Bullis School in the opening round of the Maryland Private School State tournament.

SEASON COMPLETE – METRO PRIVATE SCHOOL CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALIST & MARYLAND PRIVATE SCHOOL STATE TOURNAMENT PARTICIPANT

Previous rank: No. 23

Record: 21-10

The Mustangs won the Maryland Christian School Tournament championship, defeating The Heritage Academy, 65-53, in the final, and King’s Christian Academy in the semifinals (65-59).

SEASON COMPLETE – MARYLAND CHRISTIAN SCHOOL TOURNAMENT CHAMPION

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