Maryland
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.”
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.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Governor Moore has signed House Bill 1532 — Utility RELIEF (Reducing Energy Load Inflation for Everyday Families) Act into law today, providing limited relief to Maryland ratepayers while advancing critical protections for property owners impacted by large-scale energy infrastructure projects.
Several Republican-led amendments aimed at delivering broader, long-term cost savings for Maryland families were ultimately rejected, including:
• Ending the EmPOWER Maryland Program;
• Adjusting Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards; and
• Withdrawing from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.
Senator J.B. Jennings successfully secured an amendment to the Utility RELIEF Act, strengthening transparency and notification requirements for landowners impacted by major transmission line projects. The amendment incorporates key language from his bill, Senate Bill 584 — Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity and Transmission Lines — Notice to Landowners, introduced during the 2026 legislative session in response to concerns surrounding the Brandon Shores Retirement Mitigation Project (PSC Case #9748). Senate Bill 584 requires clear, direct and documented notice to affected and adjacent property owners, including formal notice of their right to intervene in Public Service Commission proceedings, and received favorable testimony from Protect Our Streams, The Valleys Planning Council and the Maryland Farm Bureau.
Harford County Executive Bob Cassilly wrote in support of the measure, saying, “This legislation does not prevent necessary projects from moving forward; it simply ensures that affected citizens are properly notified and afforded due process.”
Joanne Frederick, leader of Stop MPRP, also testified in support of the bill, stating, “Maryland property owners should not have to rely on rumor or last-minute meetings to learn that their land is under consideration for a transmission corridor.”
Although SB584 received a strong hearing before the Senate Energy, Education and the Environment Committee, it was never brought forward for a final vote.
Supporters of the Jennings amendment pointed to major inconsistencies in how utilities interpreted Maryland’s existing notification laws. While developers of the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project directly informed landowners and local governments of their rights to intervene, BGE relied primarily on a legal advertisement, website posting and social media notice for the Brandon Shores project.
“When this bill didn’t leave committee, I knew that we had to throw a Hail Mary and amend the Utility RELIEF Act to meet the needs of Marylanders like my constituents, who are struggling to navigate an unclear process,” said Senator Jennings.
When facing pushback on the Senate floor, regarding the inconvenience the amendment would cause for utility companies, Jennings said, “It’s somebody’s family’s home, where they raised their children. And to sit there and say to them, ‘I’m sorry you didn’t get notified, tough luck,’ That’s why we are down here, to fight for our constituents… This amendment can fix that, to make sure they’re notified properly and it’s done the right way. It’s simple. I’m disappointed that this is the attitude we are going to take, when I try to fight for my constituency.”
As he fought for the amendment, he warned, “They’re going to be calling each and every one of us, saying I wasn’t notified, they’re taking our family farm and taking my home,” emphasizing that the measure would address a problem many lawmakers will otherwise be forced to confront.
“The statute, as previously written, was too ambiguous and allowed utilities to decide how much, or how little, notice to provide,” Senator Jennings said. “Maryland families deserve a fair and transparent process regardless of which utility is involved.”
The signing of the Utility RELIEF Act comes as Senator Jennings, and several regional lawmakers continue to challenge the Brandon Shores Retirement Mitigation Project before the Public Service Commission. On April 9, 2026, Senator Jennings joined Senators Chris West, Johnny Ray Salling and Mary-Dulany James in filing an appeal. He later submitted a detailed Memorandum of Appeal on April 19, 2026, outlining constituent concerns, alleged deficiencies in the CPCN process and evidence suggesting the proposed transmission infrastructure may extend beyond immediate reliability need.
Among the concerns raised was a 2014 rendering mailed to landowners depicting a second transmission line designated for “future capacity,” raising additional questions about the long-term scope and purpose of the project. During evidentiary hearings last October, a Public Utility Law Judge cited Senator Jennings’ earlier letter challenging the redaction of project files and acknowledged the validity of transparency concerns raised by affected communities. In that letter, Senator Jennings wrote, “My constituents deserve transparency and assurance that there is a genuine and immediate reliability crisis, not that this infrastructure is being justified by speculative, future commercial needs.”
An independent report prepared for the Power Plant Research Program similarly concluded the project could create transmission capacity exceeding identified reliability needs.
The Public Service Commission is now expected to issue a final order in Case #9748 in the coming months.
Related
LEONARDTOWN, Md. – A Mechanicsville man was sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday for killing another man outside a Maryland liquor store in 2023.
What we know:
Leroy Christpher Neal, 50, was sentenced to life in prison plus 20 years, and life plus five years of active incarceration for the attack, the St. Mary’s County State’s Attorney’s Office announced.
Neal was convicted in December.
SUGGESTED: Alabama man charged after gun pulled in Maryland road rage incident, deputies say
The murder happened on Nov. 4, 2023, at a liquor store in Great Mills. That day, deputies said, Neal lured the victim to a secluded part of the parking lot behind the building, close to the edge of the woods.
What they’re saying:
State’s Attorney Jaymi Sterling said Tuesday that Neal “executed the victim in cold blood by shooting him in the back as he tried to escape,” calling it “a merciless and premeditated killing that stole a man’s life and devastated his family.”
“For years, his loved ones have carried the weight of this unimaginable loss while waiting for justice and accountability,” Sterling said. “My heart remains with them, and I hope this outcome brings them a measure of peace and closure.”
The Source: Information in this story is from the St. Mary’s County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Police said Dequan Gravely, 23, of Charles County, was driving northbound on Route 210 near Pine Drive when his Mercedes collided with the school bus turning left from the southbound lanes.
The driver of a car involved in a crash with a Prince George’s County school bus in Accokeek, Maryland, on Friday has been identified.
Prince George’s County police said Dequan Gravely, 23, of Bryans Road in Charles County, was driving northbound on Route 210 near Pine Drive around 7:20 a.m. when his Mercedes collided with the school bus turning left from the southbound lanes.
Investigators said the crash happened in the intersection, causing the school bus to flip onto its side. Gravely died at the scene.
The school bus driver was transported to a hospital and treated for injuries that were not considered life-threatening. Police said no students were on the bus at the time of the crash.
Investigators said they believe debris from the collision damaged a third vehicle. The driver of that vehicle “declined medical attention,” police said.
The Prince George’s County Police Department’s Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Unit is investigating. Anyone with information is asked to contact investigators at 301-731-4422.
WTOP’s Acacia James contributed to this report.
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