Screen Shot 2015-11-05 at 7.11.48 PMToday will mark a historic moment in Maryland’s medical marijuana initiative. At 4pm today, all cultivator, dispensary, and processor applications are due for submission to the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission for processing. The Commission will now take a thorough look at all applications to clear them for approval. They are scheduled to announce who has been awarded the licenses by late December/January, and will publish a full list at this time. This will be the final piece of the puzzle to open access to regulated, legal medical marijuana to the hundreds of thousands of residents who suffer from pain, and are looking for healthy and effective solution. The push for medical marijuana support has been huge over the past year, and has really ramped up this fall. The state of Maryland wants to make sure that only the best cultivators, dispensaries, and processors, get licenses in the state.

What does this mean for me as a potential medical marijuana patient in Maryland?

Simply put, today is the day where all potential cultivator, dispensary, and processor applications must be filed, so that the process of awarding licenses can begin. As a potential patient, you will soon be able to register and find quality provider resources, with the backing of intense, non-bias vetting from the state of Maryland. In order to obtain your medical marijuana card, you will need to first see a registered, licensed doctor for a thorough interview and examination. Once you’re approved, you will be able to get your medical marijuana through one of the state’s licensed providers. By the end of the year, and possibly early 2016, you will know who the official licensees are, and begin the process of obtaining your legal medical marijuana.

For Maryland and medical marijuana, this is just the beginning

While today marks a huge milestone for medical marijuana in the state of Maryland, many believe that it’s just the beginning. With a limited number of licenses, the state can now measure both the economic and social benefits of regulated medical marijuana. And if the results are overwhelmingly positive, it could lead to expansion into the industry, and set precedent for other nearby states where medical marijuana is currently illegal.