Maryland to hold lottery for first round of social equity cannabis applicants
The Maryland Cannabis Administration will hold lottery drawings for its first round of social equity licenses on March 14.
After opening the pool for social equity applications in November, the administration will be selecting up to 179 applicants from more than 1,200 entries whose applications were approved.
“We know businesses are excited to join this growing industry and wish all the qualified social equity applicants good luck in the drawings,” Maryland Cannabis Administration Director Will Tilburg said in a news release.
The first application round was open from Nov. 13 to Dec.12, and the cannabis agency received more than 1,500 applications eligible for selection. All applicants who met the minimum requirements were placed in a randomized lottery based on the license type.
There are 1,269 approved applicants and 84% of them are considered minority- and women-owned businesses. These applicants received notice of the lottery drawing from the administration with their lottery number Thursday through their primary email associated with the application.
Of the total amount of applicants meeting the minimum requirements for licensing, 873 were for standard and micro dispensaries, 449 were for standard and micro growers, and 192 were for standard and microprocessors.
Montgomery County has the largest number of applicants who met the minimum requirements for licensing with 89 applicants. Prince George’s County is second with 87.
The lottery drawings will be live-streamed on the agency’s website at 9:30 a.m. March 14, and the selected application numbers will be announced at the time of each lottery draw. The MCA also will post the list of selected numbers after the lottery and will contact the selected applicants.
After the lottery, the administration will verify material from each selected applicant. During this review process, the administration will verify social equity ownership and controls put in the application.
The administration told the Baltimore Sun the next round of licensing can be held in May 2024 or later, but it has not been scheduled at this time.
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