Legal recreational marijuana is now legal in Maryland.
The state’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announced Thursday that the medical marijuana program will soon be officially launched.
A spokesperson for the department, Kristi Miller, confirmed that the department will be opening a new dispensary, and that the state will be able to begin issuing medical cannabis cards in November.
The announcement comes just days after the Department of Public Health announced that it would not be issuing medical marijuana cards to anyone under the age of 21.
This is the third time that the federal government has refused to allow the state to regulate marijuana like alcohol, despite the fact that Maryland already has a well-regulated recreational market and has a strong history of treating drug abuse with medical marijuana.
While marijuana remains illegal in Maryland, it has become legal to grow, sell, and consume.
There are now more than 2,000 retail stores in the state, and more than 1,500 dispensaries in other states with similar laws.
Marijuana was legalized in Colorado and Washington in 2016, and will be allowed in the District of Columbia in 2021.
However, Washington will be the first state to allow recreational marijuana use in 2021, and there are still several states that will not allow it.
