Cannabis in Maryland: lounges, dispensaries & laws
In Maryland, recreational and medical cannabis are legal (legalized in 2022). Adult possession is capped at adults 21+ may possess the "personal use amount": up to 1.5 oz of cannabis flower, OR up to 12 grams of concentrate, OR cannabis products totaling no more than 750 mg THC. These are separate category caps, not interchangeable. Above that, a "civil use amount" (1.5-2.5 oz flower, 12-20 g concentrate, or 750-1,250 mg THC) is a civil offense with a fine up to $250 plus possible drug education/assessment referral. Above 2.5 oz / 20 g / 1,250 mg is criminal.
Can you legally consume on site in Maryland?
Authorized — none open yet
Legal on paper, but nothing is open. The Cannabis Reform Act of 2023 created an on-site consumption establishment license category, and SB 215 / HB 132 (signed April 22, 2025) fixed the operating rules. No lounge licenses were issued in the first licensing round; the Maryland Cannabis Administration may award up to 15 on-site consumption lounge licenses in the second round, and until July 2028 only social equity applicants may apply (application fee $5,000). As of mid-2026 the MCA has not awarded any lounge licenses and there is no legally operating public consumption venue anywhere in Maryland — no named venues exist to cite. Key operating constraints once licenses issue: local approval is required (counties/municipalities must permit these establishments, and localities may ban indoor smoking or vaping while still allowing it outdoors on patios); cannabis may be consumed but not smoked indoors; lounges serve single-serve edibles and beverages sourced from licensed growers/processors/dispensaries, with cannabinoid beverages capped at 5 mg THC per serving; no on-site infusion or food preparation with cannabis; lounges may operate as food service facilities for non-infused food; alcohol may not be sold or consumed on site; siting is barred within 500 feet of school grounds and 200 feet of a house of worship. MPP's table cites a 50-lounge statewide cap from the 2023 Act — the 2025 statute governs and authorizes 15 in the second round; verify the current cap with the MCA.
Maryland cannabis laws at a glance
- Legal status
- Recreational & Medical
- Adult-use since
- 2022
- Retail sales began
- 2023
- Medical since
- 2014
- Adult-use possession
- Adults 21+ may possess the "personal use amount": up to 1.5 oz of cannabis flower, OR up to 12 grams of concentrate, OR cannabis products totaling no more than 750 mg THC. These are separate category caps, not interchangeable. Above that, a "civil use amount" (1.5-2.5 oz flower, 12-20 g concentrate, or 750-1,250 mg THC) is a civil offense with a fine up to $250 plus possible drug education/assessment referral. Above 2.5 oz / 20 g / 1,250 mg is criminal.
- Medical possession
- Registered patients are certified for a 30-day supply, standard amount 120 grams of dried flower or 36 grams of THC in products, calculated on a rolling 30-day cycle (not calendar month). A certifying provider may certify a patient for more or less than the standard amount.
- Purchase limit
- Adult-use: a purchase may not exceed the personal use amount per transaction (1.5 oz flower / 12 g concentrate / 750 mg THC). Medical: the certified 30-day amount minus all purchases in the trailing 30 days (standard 120 g flower or 36 g THC).
- Home cultivation
- Two plants maximum per HOUSEHOLD, not per adult, regardless of how many adults 21+ live there. Plants must be grown at the grower's residence and out of public view. Registered medical patients may cultivate two additional plants, for a household maximum of four where a patient resides. Exceeding the limit is a misdemeanor (up to 3 years / $5,000). Since 2025, adults may also make edibles and non-volatile concentrates at home; volatile-solvent extraction remains prohibited.
- Public consumption
- Smoking cannabis in a public place is prohibited and is a civil offense. Md. Code, Criminal Law 5-601 sets the fine at not more than $50 for a first finding of guilt and not more than $150 for a second or subsequent offense. (Note: NORML and several secondary sources cite $250/$500 for public consumption; the statutory text reads $50/$150 for public smoking, and the $250 figure attaches to civil-use-amount possession. Treat $50/$150 as the public-smoking figure.) Smoking is barred on sidewalks, streets, parks, bars, restaurants, public transit and workplaces, and drivers may not smoke cannabis in a motor vehicle. Legal consumption is limited to private residences and private property, subject to the owner's or landlord's permission.
- Minimum age (adult-use)
- 21
- Minimum age (medical)
- 18 to register as a patient in one's own right. Minors under 18 may qualify but must have at least one registered caregiver at all times who is a parent or legal guardian; a minor may have up to four caregivers. Caregivers must be at least 21.
- Out-of-state medical cards
- No. Maryland does not recognize out-of-state medical cannabis cards for medical purchases — only patients and caregivers registered with the Maryland Cannabis Administration may buy medical product. However, this matters little for visitors: any adult 21+ with valid government ID, including non-residents, may purchase adult-use cannabis at Maryland dispensaries.
- Qualifying conditions
- Broad and provider-driven rather than a closed list. Enumerated conditions include severe or chronic pain, severe nausea, seizures, severe or persistent muscle spasms, glaucoma, PTSD, cachexia, anorexia, and wasting syndrome — plus any chronic or debilitating condition for which other treatments have been ineffective. Certifications may be issued by state-licensed physicians, dentists, podiatrists, nurse practitioners and nurse midwives registered with the MCA, which makes access comparatively easy.
No listings in Maryland yet
We have not verified any cannabis businesses in Maryland so far. If you run a lounge, dispensary or shop here, you can put your city on the map.
Cities in Maryland
Visiting Maryland
Buying is easy — any Maryland dispensary will sell to a visitor 21+ with an out-of-state ID, and there are hundreds statewide including Baltimore, Annapolis and the DC/Baltimore suburbs — but consuming legally is the hard part. There are no licensed consumption lounges open anywhere in Maryland as of mid-2026, smoking in any public place (including streets, parks, beaches at Ocean City and the Inner Harbor promenade) is a civil offense, and nearly all hotels are non-smoking, so a visitor with no private residence has essentially no lawful place to smoke. The practical workaround is edibles, tinctures or capsules consumed discreetly, or booking a private rental whose owner explicitly permits cannabis. Do not carry product across the Potomac into Virginia or into Washington DC expecting the same rules, and never smoke in a car — Maryland specifically bars drivers from smoking cannabis in a vehicle, and open product in the passenger area invites a stop.
What changed recently
SB 215 / HB 132, signed by Gov. Wes Moore on April 22, 2025, set the operating framework for on-site consumption lounges (up to 15 licenses in the second licensing round, social equity priority through July 2028, no indoor smoking, 5 mg THC per beverage serving, food-service permitting) and allowed owners to sell cannabis businesses to employees. A companion 2025 law legalized home manufacture of edibles and non-volatile concentrates. Also in 2025: possession of more than 50 pounds was reduced from a felony with a 5-year mandatory minimum to a misdemeanor; people serving mandatory minimums for cannabis offenses may petition for sentence modification; and pardoned low-level cannabis convictions are automatically shielded from public records. Medical cannabis delivery authority was extended to July 1, 2026. The pending item to watch is the MCA's second licensing round, which will determine whether Maryland's first lounges actually open; a disparity study must be completed before that round proceeds.
Maryland cannabis questions
Is cannabis legal in Maryland?
Recreational and medical cannabis are legal as of 2026-07-19. Adult use was legalized in 2022. Licensed retail sales began in 2023.
How much cannabis can you possess in Maryland?
Adults 21+ may possess the "personal use amount": up to 1.5 oz of cannabis flower, OR up to 12 grams of concentrate, OR cannabis products totaling no more than 750 mg THC. These are separate category caps, not interchangeable. Above that, a "civil use amount" (1.5-2.5 oz flower, 12-20 g concentrate, or 750-1,250 mg THC) is a civil offense with a fine up to $250 plus possible drug education/assessment referral. Above 2.5 oz / 20 g / 1,250 mg is criminal.
Can you smoke in public in Maryland?
Smoking cannabis in a public place is prohibited and is a civil offense. Md. Code, Criminal Law 5-601 sets the fine at not more than $50 for a first finding of guilt and not more than $150 for a second or subsequent offense. (Note: NORML and several secondary sources cite $250/$500 for public consumption; the statutory text reads $50/$150 for public smoking, and the $250 figure attaches to civil-use-amount possession. Treat $50/$150 as the public-smoking figure.) Smoking is barred on sidewalks, streets, parks, bars, restaurants, public transit and workplaces, and drivers may not smoke cannabis in a motor vehicle. Legal consumption is limited to private residences and private property, subject to the owner's or landlord's permission.
Are there cannabis lounges in Maryland?
Legal on paper, but nothing is open. The Cannabis Reform Act of 2023 created an on-site consumption establishment license category, and SB 215 / HB 132 (signed April 22, 2025) fixed the operating rules. No lounge licenses were issued in the first licensing round; the Maryland Cannabis Administration may award up to 15 on-site consumption lounge licenses in the second round, and until July 2028 only social equity applicants may apply (application fee $5,000). As of mid-2026 the MCA has not awarded any lounge licenses and there is no legally operating public consumption venue anywhere in Maryland — no named venues exist to cite. Key operating constraints once licenses issue: local approval is required (counties/municipalities must permit these establishments, and localities may ban indoor smoking or vaping while still allowing it outdoors on patios); cannabis may be consumed but not smoked indoors; lounges serve single-serve edibles and beverages sourced from licensed growers/processors/dispensaries, with cannabinoid beverages capped at 5 mg THC per serving; no on-site infusion or food preparation with cannabis; lounges may operate as food service facilities for non-infused food; alcohol may not be sold or consumed on site; siting is barred within 500 feet of school grounds and 200 feet of a house of worship. MPP's table cites a 50-lounge statewide cap from the 2023 Act — the 2025 statute governs and authorizes 15 in the second round; verify the current cap with the MCA.
Can you grow cannabis at home in Maryland?
Two plants maximum per HOUSEHOLD, not per adult, regardless of how many adults 21+ live there. Plants must be grown at the grower's residence and out of public view. Registered medical patients may cultivate two additional plants, for a household maximum of four where a patient resides. Exceeding the limit is a misdemeanor (up to 3 years / $5,000). Since 2025, adults may also make edibles and non-volatile concentrates at home; volatile-solvent extraction remains prohibited.
Does Maryland accept out-of-state medical marijuana cards?
No. Maryland does not recognize out-of-state medical cannabis cards for medical purchases — only patients and caregivers registered with the Maryland Cannabis Administration may buy medical product. However, this matters little for visitors: any adult 21+ with valid government ID, including non-residents, may purchase adult-use cannabis at Maryland dispensaries.