Maryland studied how much marijuana adults consume. It’s a lot.

“It’s a reasonably large distinction,” stated Michael Sofis, director of analysis at Hashish Public Coverage Consulting, which performed the research. He predicted a sturdy retail market in Maryland.

Sofis and Mackenzie Slade, the agency’s director, shared their findings Thursday with a piece group on marijuana legalization. Greater than 1 in 3 adults stated they use hashish no less than on a month-to-month foundation and 1 in 5 stated they use marijuana each day or nearly each day — averages that correlate with what’s seen nationally.

However Maryland residents consumed greater volumes of marijuana than others throughout the nation, utilizing a month-to-month common of 25.4 grams in comparison with 20.2 grams consumed by residents in states with authorized hashish, based on the research.

Sofis stated the survey additionally discovered that marijuana shoppers are prepared to drive 11 to twenty minutes to purchase hashish and would pay $14 per gram for it.

“That was actually surprising to me,” Sofis stated. “It displays a sure degree, I wouldn’t say ardour however an underlying motivation for hashish.”

The briefing on Thursday comes lower than every week earlier than the Basic Meeting returns to Annapolis for its 90-day session, wherein establishing a framework for marijuana legalization shall be one in all its high priorities. Voters in November authorised a referendum to permit leisure marijuana to change into authorized for adults 21 and older on July 1.

Lawmakers will determine how the system will function, together with who shall be issued licenses and the way taxes shall be collected and distributed. The state has a medical marijuana program which stays open for Marylanders with medical marijuana playing cards.

Though Maryland trails its regional neighbors in legalizing marijuana, neither Virginia nor D.C. have established a authorized retail market, leaving commerce in a grey space.

The behavioral financial research estimated that the full demand in Maryland through the first 12 months of implementation is 824 million grams of hashish “throughout all sources of hashish,” which incorporates homegrown, medical and illicit gross sales.

The consultants stated the demand in Maryland is probably going within the high 15-20 p.c of all states. “It’s even within the high of the states which have legalized and due to that you must provide extra dispensaries and have extra alternatives,” stated Sofis, who beneficial no fewer than 300 dispensaries with a tax charge of not more than 15-20 p.c.

Slade stated states “stroll a tightrope” making an attempt to make sure that they aren’t over or undersupplying the demand.

Lawmakers grappling with the way to rise up a authorized retail market stated they have been involved about oversupply, noting that a number of states have skilled a glut and, because of this, their gross sales are starting to tank.

Sen. Brian J. Feldman (D-Montgomery) stated he acquired quite a few calls from anxious constituents in regards to the state’s transfer into the authorized market after studying experiences in regards to the drops in gross sales being seen in states like Oregon and California.

Slade stated it is necessary for Maryland to permit regulators to have “production-management levers” to stop a glut within the system.

Feldman additionally puzzled if there may be an uptick in individuals consuming marijuana by means of edibles as an alternative of smoking.

Sofis stated they’re seeing incremental will increase in edible utilization not simply in Maryland however nationally. “That pattern is constant and planning forward for that’s good,” he stated.