Cannabis dispensaries around Maryland saw long lines as customers took advantage of the opportunity to purchase recreational marijuana for personal use without a medical card. Photo: P. Harman/ALM.
Recreational marijuana became legal in my home state of Maryland on July 1, meaning that anyone over the age of 21 can now purchase cannabis flower, pre-rolls, edibles, vaporizers, concentrates, tinctures, plants and other cannabis-containing products legally without a medical marijuana card. Cannabis is now legal for adult (recreational) use in 23 states, three territories, and Washington, D.C.
Adult use marijuana can be sold to anyone over the age of 21 with proper identification. Photo: P. Harman/ALM. I drove to several different dispensaries near my office to see who was purchasing the products, and it was a very diverse group of individuals. People lined up to enter the dispensaries well before they opened but the businesses were able to accommodate customers in a timely manner. There was almost a party-like atmosphere at Far and Dotter in Timonium, Md., as customers lined up around the store. Staff members greeted them outside of the store before directing them inside to pick up or purchase products.
Want to continue reading?
Become a Free PropertyCasualty360 Digital Reader
Your access to unlimited PropertyCasualty360 content isn’t changing.
Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:
- Breaking insurance news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Weekly Insurance Speak podcast featuring exclusive interviews with industry leaders
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical converage of the employee benefits and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, BenefitsPRO and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
Patricia L. Harman
Patricia L. Harman is the editor-in-chief of Claims magazine, a contributing editor to PropertyCasualty360.com, and chairs the annual America's Claims Event (ACE), which focuses on providing claims professionals with cutting-edge education and networking opportunities. She covers auto, property & casualty, workers' compensation, fraud, risk and cybersecurity, and is a frequent speaker at insurance industry events. Contact her at [email protected]
