Five years after having been voted into law, Maryland’s cannabis dispensaries are set to open and overflow with good medicine. Before the week is through, the dispensary Rise will be offering a variety of cannabis products, including flowers and oils.
Eight dispensaries are slated to open, four of them Friday, which will launch Maryland’s pot program into the spotlight and they’ll join the ranks sharing in this billion dollar industry.
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Eugene Monroe, Baltimore Ravens tackle, carried a huge pair of red scissors to the ribbon cutting ceremony, telling crowds, “I’ve been waiting, just like you guys.”
Now retired from football, Monroe is a part of the Green Thumb Industries team, though he’s also been an advocate for using cannabis for pain management for even longer. He’s called for cannabis to be taken from the banned substances list at the NFL.
GTI is the parent company of Rise and their focus is on compliance and diversity in the industry, which bodes well for both staff and patients at the new dispensary.
According to the Washington Post, 8,500 out of the 15,000 people who signed up have been approved for medical marijuana, while 14 growers, 12 processors and nine dispensaries have been licensed by the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission.
Though Rise’s shelves aren’t stocked with flavorful, cannabinoid rich herbal products yet, there are numerous pieces of local glass blown pipes, bongs and rigs. However, they’re “eager to get started.”
Anthony Darby leads Peninsula Alternative Health on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and said that he hopes to start sales soon, but is wary of promising a targeted date they’ll be open by.
“I have been in this situation at least two other times, and because of testing labs and other reasons, product hasn’t gotten to us,” said Darby. “We are hopefully optimistic that this is different and the delivery from Curio will happen.”
We remain equally hopeful and optimistic and congratulate Maryland on finally being able to purchase their medicine over the counter. We look forward to the day that not only Maryland, but the rest of the country that hasn’t done so yet, legalizes it, at least for compassionate medical use.
