8 Medical Marijuana Firms Get Green Light To Grow: Reports

BEL AIR, MD — Eight companies received the green light Monday to begin growing marijuana from the Maryland Medical Marijuana Commission, according to media reports. Several plan to start growing plants immediately, the Capital Gazette of Annapolis reported.

Maryland legalized medical marijuana in 2013, but prior to Monday, only one firm had received a final license from the commission to grow it. The company, ForwardGro, is based in Anne Arundel County, according to the Capital Gazette. (Get Patch’s daily newsletter and real-time news alerts, or like us on Facebook. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

The state's plans call for up to 102 medical marijuana dispensaries to be opened across Maryland. As of Monday, about 12,000 people had signed up to become eligible for medical marijuana, and 400 medical providers had signed up to recommend it.

An industry research group has estimated that Maryland’s medical marijuana market will be worth $221 million annually by 2021, the Capital Gazette reported.

The companies that received final licenses Monday include Carroll County’s Grassroots of Maryland, which also has operated as Maryland Compassionate Care and Wellness.

Several of the companies plan to operate as wholesalers, by growing, processing and distributing medical marijuana but not engaging in retail sales. They include Curio Wellness of Timonium, which will grow and process the product in a 46,000-square-foot warehouse, WBAL-TV Channel 11 reported.

Others plan to open dispensaries that would sell branded products that are grown and processed in house, the Capital Gazette reported.

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