MARYLAND, USA — Recreational use of marijuana became legal for those 21 and up in Maryland on Saturday. Now, reports show more than $10 million of retail sales were reported in the state just in the first weekend alone.
According to the Maryland Cannabis Administration, $3,985,527 in total retail sales were reported in 2022, when it was only available for medicinal purposes. With recreational usage signed into law, the MCA reports $10,429,736 in total retail sales during the same weekend in 2023, nearly $7 million more than the previous year.
On the first day recreational use became legal in Maryland, the MCA says more than $4.5 million in total retail sales were reported. Of those sales, only $959,430 were for medical sales, compared to the $3,558,947 for total adult-use sales.
"The most that people were waiting were probably 15 to 20 minutes which is really impressive considering we saw about five to six times the amount of guests that we normally would," Kate Smith, the Vice President of retail sales for Curaleaf told WUSA9. The company runs four dispensaries in Maryland.
Smith says the timing of the legalization of recreational use and the holiday weekend were all factors for the high sales across the state.
Although recreational use is driving up their numbers, Smith says medical-use customers continue to be their top priority. "We have items at the store that are for medical use only as the state regulations into place. It is 100% of focus to make sure they don't feel an interruption to the service they have expected," Smith added.
Maryland voters approved legalizing recreational cannabis in a constitutional amendment in November of 2022. People 21 and older are able to possess up to 1.5 ounces of cannabis flower, up to 12 grams of concentrated cannabis, or a total amount of cannabis products that do not exceed 750 milligrams of THC.
Consumers will have to provide dispensaries with a government-issued photo ID.
Smoking at home or a friend's house is fine, but not in parks, bars, public transit, or on streets and sidewalks. Homeowners can grow up to two marijuana plants. Renters will need the landlord's permission.
Recreational use of marijuana for those 21 or older became legal in Maryland Saturday, and people eager to wake up and smell the weed were lined up outside of dispensaries to be among the first to purchase the drug under the new state law.