Zen Leaf Opening In Jessup

JESSUP, MD — A medical marijuana dispensary will open this week in Howard County. It will be staffed by patient care specialists and an on-site pharmacist and will only provide medicine to patients.

Zen Leaf in Jessup will sell flower, pre-rolls, vape pens, vape cartridges, oils, tinctures, creams and other items from Maryland growers and processors, the company said in a statement.

To celebrate its grand opening, Zen Leaf will host a party on Saturday, Jan. 13, with giveaways, food trucks, speakers and information sessions to present the dispensary to Maryland patients.

Currently, there are 22 licensed dispensaries in Maryland, four of which are in Howard County: Zen Leaf in Jessup, Remedy Columbia, Greenhouse Wellness in Ellicott City and Revolution Releaf in Laurel.

The first dispensary in Maryland — Potomac Holistics — opened on Dec. 1, 2017, according to The Washington Post, which reported some people in the 200-person-long line drove across the state to get there.

In Howard County, Remedy Columbia on Dobbin Road opened Dec. 21, 2017.

The process to obtain cannabis legally involves registering with the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission and obtaining certification from a medical provider who is also registered with the commission.

Conditions that people may be prescribed cannabis for include cachexia, anorexia, wasting syndrome, severe pain, severe nausea, seizures, severe or persistent muscle spasms, glaucoma, post-traumatic stress disorder and chronic pain.

Zen Leaf is located at 7221 Montevideo Road in Jessup. It will be open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday to Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The grand opening celebration will be from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 13.

• Maryland's First Medical Marijuana Dispensary Approved
• 8 Medical Marijuana Firms Get Green Light To Grow: Reports

Maryland is considered to have one of the slowest medical cannabis rollouts in the nation, hampered by several delays that arose during the four-year process since it was legalized.

The state legalized medical marijuana in 2013, but prior to August 2017, only one firm had received a final license from the commission to grow it.

Industry stakeholders pointed to the lack of funding of the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission in its beginning stages, and to lawsuits filed against the commission, as major stumbling blocks.

More than half of U.S. states have legalized medical marijuana as of 2018. In fact, medical use of marijuana has been made legal in 29 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam, according to the National Conference of State Legislators. Recreational marijuana use has been legalized in Alaska, California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Oregon, Massachusetts, Maine, Nevada and Washington.

• Medical Cannabis Industry In Maryland Off To Slow Start

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