People line up as recreational marijuana becomes legal in Maryland (2024)

“New day, new j,” he repeated to customers as they made their way inside. “It’s a state holiday.”

It was among many scenes that played out Saturday as Maryland became the 21st state where recreational cannabis sales are legal. Customers 21 and older with a driver’s license or other government-issued ID can now buy dried flower, pre-rolled joints, vape cartridges containing THC and edibles at licensed dispensaries.

Maryland voters overwhelmingly supported legalizing cannabis in November, joining 22 other states and D.C. in decriminalizing the drug. Unlike in neighboring jurisdictions like Virginia and D.C., Maryland lawmakers swiftly set up a legal market for recreational sales, ensuring that people could stay on the right side of the law while partaking in the drug and also securing a new source of tax revenue for the state.

“Maryland has been so medical for so long, [people] crave the other side of the cannabis space,” said Jeremy Unruh, senior vice president of public and regulatory affairs for PharmaCann, which runs two Verilife dispensaries in Maryland. “Expect a lot of fun.”

Mayberry said the dispensary in Silver Spring was only a few blocks away from his childhood home, where he was briefly kicked out at 19 after being caught smoking weed alongside a few friends. Now, Mayberry hopes to educate others about recreational and medical marijuana use, and shatter the stigma associated with it. He said his mother was issued a medical marijuana card several years back, which has helped her mobility and chronic pain issues.

“It’s really a peace of mind and serenity to have that access,” Mayberry said.

Existing medical marijuana businesses converted their licenses into adult-use licenses so that people would have a place to buy legal marijuana on Saturday. Lawmakers took that approach in the hopes that easy-to-access and affordable legal cannabis would squash the black market from day one of legalization. There are about 100 dispensaries open for recreational sales across the state — and consultants hired to analyze demand for the state estimated Maryland will need at least 300 to keep up with demand moving forward.

New businesses will be able to apply for additional licenses later this year, with the first round being granted by January. Companies owned by people who live in or attended school in areas of the state that were disproportionately affected by cannabis arrests when the drug was still illegal will be given preference in the first round of adult-use licensing, with the hope of increasing diversity in an industry that has been disproportionately dominated by White men.

“My goal is that the owners of the cannabis industry in Maryland look like Maryland,” said state Del. C.T. Wilson (D-Charles) House Economic Matters Committee chairman, who sponsored that chamber’s bill.

Growers, processors and dispensaries across the state have worked for months to prepare for a surge in demand. Cannabis shops from Allegany to Worcester counties opened their doors to a much larger customer base, and many held special events to mark the occasion.

Some dispensaries experienced slower-paced traffic throughout the day with little lines. Still, Saturday brought nearly five times the normal foot traffic at Columbia Care in Chevy Chase, said Volley Hayhurst, the company’s vice president of operations.

“It’s great for the U.S. consumers of Maryland so they can get relief from cannabis, legally and walk in and buy [it] like any type of Tylenol or over the counter drug,” said Hayhurst, 46. “It’s possibly even just like going into a liquor store and buying, you know, craft beer.”

The Maryland Marijuana Justice advocacy group, spread out in 17 different locations, gathered 30,000 marijuana seeds to hand out free Saturday.

Dominick Savage, a 28-year-old from the Anacostia community in D.C. traveled to Silver Spring to pick up seeds and have the opportunity to grow cannabis for the first time. Savage said he feels like the legalization of marijuana has been long overdue.

“People have been buying weed like they buy iPhones in D.C., Massachusetts and California,” he said. “Why not in Maryland?”

Savage said he uses marijuana to get better sleep at night, but thinks the benefits of smoking marijuana socially shouldn’t be criminalized.

But law enforcement officials say they have lingering concerns.

At a recent news conference, Prince George’s County Police Chief Malik Aziz said police data from other states where recreational marijuana is legal suggest it could lead to an increase in fatalities, public intoxication, usage of marijuana in public and robberies “associated with the black market.”

“If those states are indicative of what will happen in the future, then I would expect no less in Maryland,” Aziz said.

State lawmakers say legalizing cannabis could tamp down on the illegal market for the drug by providing a safer, regulated product. But some jurisdictions, like Colorado, have seen an increase in the black market. Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha N. Braveboy said officials think that could be because “people felt more comfortable” possessing cannabis once it became legal, leading to more sales on the illegal market.

“This is the law that our legislature passed, so we have to observe it and respect the law,” Braveboy said in an interview. “Although we hope over the next several months we see how this law impacts public safety, and hope that the legislature is open to any changes that are necessary in the interest of the safety of all of our communities.”

Public safety officials, meanwhile, encouraged people to be safe while on the roads. “For cannabis, just like alcohol, motorists need to plan ahead,” Maryland State Police spokeswoman Elena Russo said in a statement. “Once you are impaired, you are not going to make proper decisions.” Several other state agencies warned of DUIs over Twitter on Saturday.

The ballot measure passed by voters in November made it legal for people 21 and older to possess up to 1.5 ounces of cannabis, up to 12 grams of concentrated cannabis, or a total amount of cannabis products that does not exceed 750 mg of THC. It also allowed Marylanders to grow up to two plants at home, as long as they have permission from the homeowner and keep the plants out of public view. However, the Maryland Cannabis Administration told The Washington Post that recreational users can be cited for possessing more than the 1.5-ounce limit even if that cannabis is grown at home. A civil fine applies to people found to be in possession of between 1.5 ounces and 2.5 ounces of cannabis. Possessing more than 2.5 ounces of cannabis could result in criminal charges.

The Cannabis Reform Act, passed by legislators in April, set up new rules for recreational cannabis businesses. That law solved a number of logistical problems by setting up an adult-use license structure, implementing a 9 percent tax on recreational cannabis sales and making it legal for people to buy seeds and seedlings from licensed dispensaries to grow their own cannabis at home. It also requires recreational cannabis products undergo the same testing as medical marijuana.

Wilson said that Maryland’s licensing structure not only allows dispensaries to spread out “evenly dispersed by population centers” throughout the state to make sure everyone has equal access, but also for products to be inspected for the “safety, health, and well-being of our community.”

The state’s medical marijuana program will continue to operate as before, with registered patients able to access some cannabis products that exceed the THC concentration permitted for recreational sales. Medical cardholders can also possess more marijuana than recreational users, up to a 30-day supply determined by their medical provider.

Many dispensaries will continue to serve patients by offering medical-only hours, express lines for medical cardholders and reserving some stock for their medical customers. Marylanders who are 18 or older can apply to be part of the state’s medical cannabis program with the support of a medical provider, and there is a process for minor patients to apply for an exception to the age limit with certain qualifying medical conditions.

At Remedy Maryland, one of the state’s first licensed medical cannabis dispensaries, co-chief executive Mitch Terrell said the store saw hundreds of people throughout the day, with peak foot traffic expected in the late afternoon.

He said more customers were likely to stroll in an hour or two before the store closed at 10 p.m., as people go out for the night or feel a last-minute impulse to shop for marijuana products.

“I’m a weed head, and so no hate here, but we tend to put things off to the last minute,” he said. “I think it’s funny to watch.”