Even if we're all still dreaming of the day when we could just walk into a recreational dispensary, you still have plenty of options to get weed in Maryland. The Gentleman has compiled all of them into this handy guide for you!
Of course, if you have any legal questions, I always advise you have a chat with a lawyer cuz there’s a billion of em around here and I’m just a claymation homunculus.
So what do you want to know about?
What Are the Maryland Weed Laws?
Recreational cannabis is illegal in Maryland, but medical marijuana has been legal since 2013 if you have an easily obtained Maryland medical marijuana card. Also, a 2014 law decriminalized possession of fewer than 10 grams of recreational cannabis.
For possession of small amounts, Maryland marijuana laws currently allow you to be fined $100 for the first offense, $250 for the second, and $500 for subsequent offenses. No criminal record will be created, but authorities can recommend drug counseling after three or more violations.
Medical marijuana patients with a card can have up to 120 grams of marijuana or 36 grams of THC concentrate each month. A physician can prescribe more if needed. Caregivers for patients under 18 or needing assistance can register with the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission (MMCC) to get a card.
Decriminalization Means...
So, here’s the deal: recreational pot is still illegal in the state of Maryland (we think it's stupid, too.)
The bright spot is that possession of anything less than 10 grams of pot has officially been decriminalized.
So you can just blaze blunts in front of City Hall all day blasting NWA and nobody can say anything if you have less than 10 grams, right? The answer isn’t that simple.
Decriminalization just means that you can’t face criminal charges for having some weed on you. In other words, if you run into the cops, you won’t get hit with a criminal penalty, but they will confiscate your buds and hit you with a fine.
If you’re caught with less than 10 grams, you can get off easy with just a $100 fine.
If you’ve got more than that, you’re looking at a misdemeanor penalty or $1000 in fines. You better believe they’re gonna add the weight of the baggie, so skew under.
FYI, edibles are usually weighed as the entire cookie or tincture or whatever, not the percentage of THC they contain, so you could rack up more than 10g real fast with Grandma’s world-famous Pearl Jam. Be careful!
You’re not allowed to smoke in public or behind the wheel even as an MMJ patient- keep your medicine at home and locked up tight!
When Will Maryland Legalize Recreational Weed?
On April 1, 2022, Maryland’s Governor allowed marijuana reform legislation HB 837 to become law without signing it, subject to voter approval in November. Voter support is running at over 60%.
If Maryland residents vote HB 837 into law, all residents over 21 will be able to:
- Possess up to 1.5 ounces of cannabis
- Cultivate up to two plants
- Apply for expungement
The law will also provide funding to support women and minority-owned cannabis businesses and community repair and reinvestment. If voters approve it by voting yes on the ballot box marked H1 in November, the long-awaited new law will take effect on July 31, 2023.
While you’re waiting for recreational marijuana to become legal in Maryland, you can get a medical marijuana card if you want to avoid any possibility of losing your weed and being fined by the long arm of the law. Or you can drive over to D.C. to do your smoking legally.
I Heard It's Legal in DC?
Maybe you don’t want a medical card because you have top-secret government clearances to operate bazooka drones. Or maybe you don’t want to forfeit your collection of exotic and antique firearms.
Cool cool cool. You’ve got some options on social media and other sites, but a quick trip down to Washington DC and you can find gift weed delivery or pick-up from a ton of awesome brands your Gentleman has personally vetted.
You can find more info about how weed gifting works in DC on this page. In short: you're not buying the flowers, you're buying the other thing they're selling for you, whether that’s baseball cards, books, whatever.
They give you the goods as a gift -- a token of their affection and appreciation, if you will. Just let 'em know where you wanna meet up and when they’re generally very flexible.
If you’re willing to risk it for the biscuit, you can try looking for other Maryland marijuana enthusiasts on social media like Instagram and Facebook or apps like Mass Roots and High There!
Or check out LeafedIn.org, there are some brands there operating in Maryland, but I can’t vet these guys for you so stay smart and stay safe! And please don’t forget who told you where to get weed when the zombies come!
How Maryland Residents Can Get Recreational Weed
We’d be the last people to advise you to break the law. So, if you do take a short trip from Maryland to D.C. to buy recreational weed in a retail shop, be aware that you’re supposed to smoke it ALL in D.C. and not bring ANY back across the Maryland border with you.
Although Maryland has decriminalized small amounts of cannabis, it’s still a federal offense to transport any weed across state lines.
Voting yes on proposition H1 on the November election ballot will help bring legal recreational weed to Maryland on July 31, 2023. Then no one will have to take a trip to D.C. to get recreational weed or jump through hoops to get a Maryland medical marijuana card.
But for now, if you don’t want to go to D.C for your weed, you’ll need a MMCC. Below, we’ll take you through the steps to getting your Medical Card in Maryland.
How to Get a Medical Marijuana Card in Maryland
The Good news is that getting your medical card is super-easy!
The full list of accepted conditions is on this page. If your usual doctor is registered with the Maryland Medical Marijuana Commission, they can help you with the recommendation you’ll need to become a patient.
You can also look up providers on the MMCC website. But if you just want to get your card ASAP, then hit up my friends at Veriheal, they’ll hook you up with one of their canna-friendly docs lickety-split for $200.
But it’s not difficult for residents to get a medical marijuana card in Maryland. Here’s the procedure:
- Register as a patient with the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission (MMCC)
- Get written certification from a medical provider who is registered with the MMCC.
- Print your temporary medical marijuana card.
- Buy your weed from a licensed dispensary.
Here’s a breakdown of the process to get a medical marijuana card (MMC).
What You Need to Get a Card from the MMCC
The first step is to get registered. To complete online registration, you’ll need:
- An email account you can access
- Your Social Security Number
- An electronic copy of a government photo ID. This can be a Maryland driver’s license, state ID card, military ID, or U.S. passport.
- A passport-type color photo. You can take your passport photo online, at a shop, or at a designated government facility. The State Department’s passport photo page has a guide.
- Proof you live in Maryland. Proof of residence can be your address on your ID, a bank statement, a utility bill, or another document with your name and address.
- $50 to pay the MMCC registration fee. The fee can be waived for veterans and Medicaid recipients.
Qualifying Medical Conditions
You’ll need written certification from a provider who is registered with the MMCC stating that you have one of these qualifying medical conditions:
- Anorexia
- Cachexia
- Chronic or severe pain
- Glaucoma
- Muscle spasms
- PTSD
- Seizures
- Severe nausea
In addition to these listed conditions, you can qualify if you have any other chronic medical condition that’s not responding to treatment, depending on the provider’s evaluation. This opens the door for many issues like depression to be valid conditions.
How Caregivers Can Get Maryland Marijuana
If you are above 21 years old and a caregiver for a minor under 18 or provide care for any patient, you can get an ID card from the MMCC. You can provide care for up to five people. All you need to do is register with the MMCC and buy an ID card.
After approval, you’ll be able to use the MMCC caregiver registry to select patients who have designated you as their caregiver. Then you can buy medical marijuana from any Maryland licensed dispensary for them. Your registration will be valid for two years.
How to Get Maryland Marijuana After MMCC Registration
After you’ve completed online registration, take these steps to get your medical marijuana:
- Click the link in the registration email to verify your account.
- Write down the patient ID number. Your physician will need it.
- Name a caregiver if you need one.
- Get written certification of your medical condition from a provider.
- Download and print a temporary ID card from the MMCC.
- Buy your weed.
Note that if you are a minor, your parent or caregiver must register first. Also, it takes the MMCC 30 days or longer to send your card in the mail, but you can use a temporary card after completing your online certification process.
Now that you have your MMCC, it’s time to take it to a dispensary. Below is a list of our favorite dispensaries in Maryland!
Best Maryland Dispensaries (By Cities)
The best means different things to different folks. If you’re a marijuana-loving connoisseur, consistently having the best buds producing the finest high available will determine which Maryland medical marijuana dispensary is the best.
If you’re a newcomer who needs help getting through the MMCC registration process and working out where to start with medical cannabis, you’ll need education and helpful guidance.
If you’re into the best shopping atmosphere, anything less than first-class won’t do. If you’re an introvert who seldom goes out, you'll want a quick, dependable delivery service. And if you’re a value shopper, you'll want the biggest bang for your buck.
The best Maryland dispensaries have a:
- Safe, clean, pleasant atmosphere.
- Large selection of each type of product.
- Knowledgeable staff who can answer your questions.
- High-quality product safely and attractively packaged.
- Commitment to providing high-value products that give you your money’s worth.
When Maryland goes legal for recreational weed, it’s only expected that the best medical marijuana retailers will continue to uphold their high standards. Here are the best Maryland marijuana dispensaries in major cities.
Annapolis Dispensaries
Gold Leaf
The Gold Leaf dispensary on West Street is committed to consistently delivering the highest quality products by utilizing its vetted cannabis suppliers.
All Gold Leaf’s medical-grade products — buds, prerolls, edibles, oils, and concentrates — are available for in-store shoppers or curbside pickup. Note that the delivery service has a special menu that does not include everything available in-store.
What’s really special about Gold Leaf is the shopping experience. The open floor plan, attractively packaged products displayed in glass cases, and the artwork make shopping at Gold Leaf an enjoyable experience.
Baltimore Dispensaries
As the largest city, Baltimore offers more than one outstanding Maryland medical dispensary.
CULTA
Pot connoisseurs will likely find the best bud available in Baltimore at CULTA. Their near-fanatical obsession with genetics and cultivating only the finest strains in a high-tech environment results in genuinely great weed.
CULTA grows all of its weed in its own Cambridge facilities. Sales are through its Baltimore dispensary and partner dispensaries throughout Maryland, keeping true to the CULTA commitment to employ locals and boost local businesses.
At CULTA, you’ll get top-quality buds grown in a sustainable environment and support your local area.
ReLeaf
Medical professionals founded ReLeaf to bring custom solutions to your healthcare issues. They strive to keep patients informed and provide the best patient experience and outcome.
Working in a Mount Vernon store with the carefully crafted feel of an old-time herbal medicine shop, staff greet customers by name and remember the best cannabis products for their well-being.
ReLeaf also has a helpful service on its website titled ‘Ask the Professor,’ where you can ask any cannabis-related questions. Or, for quicker answers, call their hotline.
Pure Life Wellness
A relative newcomer, Pure Life Wellness is the venture of a local Baltimore woman inspired to bring a compassionate female touch to Maryland dispensaries. The caring staff treats your visit like a consultation, not a retail purchase.
The relaxed, open atmosphere is conducive to open, honest communication about your feelings, needs, and goals to create the best possible program for your well-being. Pro-Life Wellness states, “Together, we can heal and grow to our fullest potential.”
Located in historic Federal Hill, Pure Life offers significant discounts on a different product group each day of the week. You’ll find a full line of carefully curated products. Plus, Pro-Life Wellness has a loyalty program.
Bethesda, Silver Spring, and Joppa Dispensaries
Rise
Rise dispensaries now have three locations in Maryland in addition to its many shops in other states. This fast-growing chain offers a complete selection of medical marijuana products attractively and professionally displayed in a cool atmosphere.
In-store, curbside, and delivery service shopping experiences are excellent but Rise only accepts cash — no credit cards, debit cards, or checks. There is a membership program that enables you to take advantage of discounts.
The Rise blog is highly informative, with articles for beginners and connoisseurs who want to add to their store of cannabis knowledge.
Cumberland Dispensaries
Allegheny Medical Marijuana Dispensary
At Allegheny Medical Marijuana Dispensary (AMMD), the focus is on service. A greeter welcomes each shopper, getting you pointed in the right direction. Knowledgeable budtenders answer all your questions as they assist you in buying the best product for your condition.
Allegheny was one of the first outlets for legal Maryland marijuana. It has thrived because of its dedication to exceeding expectations and establishing customer loyalty through caring about healing.
AMMD sees its patient relationships as partnerships where its responsibility is empowering you through education and providing natural healing alternatives. They offer a complete range of competitively priced marijuana products.
Ellicott City Dispensaries
Trilogy Wellness
Built on their belief that cannabis can improve your quality of life, Trilogy Wellness is dedicated to cannabis education and community involvement. Their highly knowledgeable staff will work with you to ensure you’re fully informed and get the right products for your situation.
Trilogy Wellness hosts a weekly workshop to get newcomers up and running in the world of Maryland marijuana healing. Workshops focus on moving you through the MMCC medical marijuana card application process and educating you on the different types of cannabis products available.
Trilogy offers hefty discounts for new patients and has a one-cent deal on a preroll for $100 purchases.
Westminster and Newmarket Dispensaries
Verilife
Although Verilife is a vertically integrated chain with outlets in several states, it remains focused on providing personal shopping experiences catering to your individual needs. They offer a complete range of medical marijuana products.
The emphasis at Verilife is on healing through a cannabis protocol designed for your situation to increase well-being. You can take advantage of Verilife’s offer to help if you need assistance obtaining a medical marijuana card.
Reviews are positive, stating that Verilife provides good deals with reasonable amounts making it worth driving to. Verilife has a rewards program and offers a price match guarantee.
Get Your Medical Marijuana Card
Medical marijuana is totally legal in Maryland! But still federally illegal. Y'know.
But patients aren’t allowed to grow it themselves. Medical marijuana patients in MD are locked into the dispensary system for medicine.
I know, I’m all blue sad crying face emoji about it, too.
Good news is that getting your medical card is super-easy!
It can take a while for the state to process your application, though, so you want to get on it ASAP.
The full list of accepted conditions is on this page. If your usual doctor is registered with the Maryland Medical Marijuana Commission, they can help you with the recommendation you’ll need to become a patient.
You can also look up providers on the MMCC website. But if you just want to get your card ASAP, then hit up my friends at Veriheal, they’ll hook you up with one of their canna-friendly docs lickety-split for $200.
Maryland Dispensary Guide
I've been bouncing around Maryland’s medical marijuana scene since the dispensaries first opened in December ‘17. FYI, a lot of dispensaries offer delivery if you can’t make it to the store or can direct you to caregivers that are licensed to get your cannabis medicine for you.
On the outskirts of Washington DC, you should check out RISE in Silver Spring or Bethesda. They’re operated by Green Thumb Industries. GTI also operates the processor Rythm and has the license for Mary’s Medicinals brand in Maryland.I really like Rythm’s CO2 extracted vape cartridges. I also liked the vape I got from gLeaf recently.
Hailing from Las Vegas, the Verano brand consistently has the best flowers out of everything I’ve smoked so far, but they tend to be pricey.
They also do their own extraction so you’ll find Verano’s Sunrock Shatter, vapes, and ingestibles like their gummy troches at lots of dispensaries, but for the best selection, check out their vertically-integrated ZenLeaf shops in Columbia and Jessup.
My favorite concentrates these days are from Culta. Their dispensary on Key Highway has an insane selection of shatters, sugars, badders, live resins, diamonds, you name it. Their prices are the lowest around and the shatter is a particularly good deal at $40/gram, and 3 for $99 everyday.
Culta's quality has been consistently excellent in my experience. It tastes clean, y’know what I mean, Verne? I've seen some great flowers from them recently, too.
GreenLabs in Fells Point has one of the hottest deals around- $18 eighths of three select strains all day Sunday draws crowds all day long. It's not top shelf stuff, but it's a good deal.
I'm also digging Grassroots products. I love visiting their deli-style dispensary in Gaithersburg for my pick of flowers. "Deli-style" means the flower is weighed out in front of you.
Grassroots' cheaper concentrate is hit or miss, but the live sugars rock. Their RSO is still fantastic! I’ve finally settled on Iditarod as my favorite after very extensive testing.
I have developed a strong appreciation for Dixie ingestibles like their Awakening Tablets and infused Tea (as Maryland doesn’t currently allow traditional edibles like THC infused cookies and brownies and hard candies and whatnot). The Dixie brand is multi-state and licensed locally by Curio Wellness whose shop is located in Timonium.
Curaleaf Distillate
Just outside the city in Reisterstown, you’ll find processor Curaleaf’s store- they make some fantastic CO2 & distillate extracts. I was impressed with Temescal Wellness’ dispensary in Pikesville but even more so with their flower- well worth a visit!
In Prince George’s County, Mary & Main in Capitol Heights boasts the youngest dispensary owner in the United States, Hope Wiseman, so show her some love!
Farther south, I dig Southern Maryland Relief in Mechanicsville a lot, great folks there that love the community. They’ve got dispensaries in Ocean City but be discreet! Your Gentleman was tossed out on his ass by the Commander Hotel last summer.
CBD- It's Everywhere!
Have you heard about CBD, the other cannabinoid in weed that doesn’t get you high but has actually been used in an FDA-approved medication to treat epilepsy? Anecdotal evidence abounds that CBD can help you fight inflammation, anxiety, pain, even more serious ailments.
Personally, I find topicals the most useful- CBD is what BenGay is supposed to be and opioids just mask pain signals, not actually heal my jacked-up back.
You generally want a Full-Spectrum to include as many helpful cannabinoids, terpenes, and other mystery compounds of which Science Knows Not yet as you can get. That means it might include a tiny, allowable percentage of THC. Keep that in mind if you’re regularly drug-tested!
You should be okay if you’re only using it as a topical, but it’s your job and I’m just an invisible voice on the internet, sooooo. And keep in mind that CBD is definitely psychoactive, it just doesn’t get you “high.” It gets you “calm.”
In the wake of last year’s Farm Bill that legalized hemp, you can you find CBD at every head shop, tobacco shop, gas stations, even freakin' CVS! But I recommend you visit the specialty brick-and-mortar stores for best selection and knowledgeable staff.
Personally, I really dig 529 Vapes in Baltimore, located in the historic Fells Point neighborhood, and there’s a place that infuses organic hipster juices with CBD like a block away from there.
Plus you can get it shipped to you over the internet! Check out my friends at District Hemp.
Rec Sales When?
While there is a groundswell of support for legalizing recreational/adult-use cannabis among Marylanders and their legislature, Governor Hogan has been noncommittal on the matter to date.
In theory, he could follow the example of Gov. LePage in Maine and block the state from ending marijuana prohibition in Maryland. Stay tuned to GT for updates!
Dixie Awakening Tablets (Curio Wellness)