Marijuana Industry – Meet the Cannabis Companies in Maryland

When you talk about marijuana or cannabis, the first thing that strikes your mind is enjoyment and parties. However, just like every other thing in life, cannabis also has a positive side to it. Marijuana is a psychoactive drug and thus, has various medical purposes and benefits. There was once news floating in the air that Maryland will soon have several companies which will grow marijuana legally for medical purposes. However, this news took several years of controversies, delays, and lawsuits to finally become a reality. There are 14 different firms all set to grow marijuana legally in Maryland and fire up the supply chain for the market dedicated to the herb. This market is expected to reach almost a quarter billion dollars in a year according to this dispensary marketing case study.

The owners of the companies, who have received the licenses to produce cannabis, have kept out of the limelight for a long period of time. They have been busy dealing with legal challenges, building facilities that are worth millions and millions of dollars, and racing against time to grow before the lawmakers can come up with more licenses. These legal cannabis cultivators are basically from different backgrounds. Some are from the field of pharmaceuticals, some are with a background in nurseries, some are from the restaurant profession, some are from medicine, law enforcement, liquor distribution, and real estate.

It is also true that some of the firms are run by prominent businessmen of Maryland who have strong political ties. There are also some who have even contributed to different political candidates on either one or both sides of the planks. Some cultivators actually operate various marijuana companies in different other states and are using their expertise in cultivating the herb. Some cultivators are also family owned and one is basically led by different physicians.

The selection panel tried to choose the cultivators keeping geographic diversity in mind. However, the professional diversity found among the cultivators was not deliberate. Two of the firms chosen as cultivators were not even there in the list of top 15. These two firms were located in an area that other members considered as undeserved. This resulted in lawsuits by firms that were not allowed a license to grow marijuana and supply the dispensaries. These lawsuits are still pending a final decision.

14 Companies That Have Received Licenses to Grow Cannabis in Maryland

Here are 14 of the cultivators that have received the license to grow marijuana legally in Maryland.

1. ForwardGro: One of the 14 licensed cultivators of marijuana in Maryland, ForwardGro is led by Gary Magnum. He has made a fortune growing various types of ornamental flowers and his company, ForwardGro also happens to be the first company to have received the license to grow cannabis in Maryland.
2. Holistic Industries: The CEO of this company is Josh Genderson, who also happens to be the fourth generation of his entire family to have owned and operated Schneider’s of Capitol Hill, which is a pretty big and popular liquor store in Washington.
3. Curio Wellness: Michael Bronfein is the owner of this company. He is a Democratic donor and a healthcare entrepreneur. His company, Curio Wellness, raised a whopping $30 million and built a warehouse in a Lutherville-Timonium office park. This warehouse is highly futuristic and modern.
4. Doctors Orders: Glenn Weinberg, one of the former principals at Cordish Cos, is also the CEO of this company. Doctors Orders is also one of the 2 companies that failed to meet the August deadline for becoming operational. However, it received an extension from the regulators.
5. Freestate Wellness: The president of Freestate Wellness, Cary Millstein, has spent 30 years in the construction business. Cary also owns another business that basically deals with exporting pecans to Asia.
6. Green Leaf Medical: This licensed cultivator of marijuana is headed by Philip Goldberg. He also owns a marketing firm in Montgomery County. Goldberg was once the president of the Maryland Cannabis Industry Association even before the industry existed.
7. HMS Health: This company is a family owned business and was started on a 150-acre former tree nursery. It is owned by the father-son duo of Shakil and Haris Siddiqui. The company is basically a Frederick County marijuana operation and it also involves several other members of the Siddiqui family.
8. Harvest of Maryland: This firm was initiated by an Arizona based CEO Steve White. It was basically a unique deal and happens to be a profit-sharing program with Hancock, which is a western Maryland town.
9. Kind Therapeutics, USA: Susan Zimmerman is the CEO of this firm. She is a physician from Annapolis and also an entrepreneur. She operates a pain clinic along with her husband and her business partner, Dr. William Tham.
10. Maryland Compassionate Care: This is basically a Chicago based company and started its business as Grassroots of Maryland once it received its license. The firm also renovated a warehouse in the Carroll County town of Taneytown.
11. SunMed Growers: This firm is owned solely by Jake Van Wingerden, who is a veteran greenhouse operator. This firm is basically a Dutch styles marijuana greenhouse spread across 67 acres in Cecil County.
12. Grow West Md: Situated in Western Maryland, this is a family-owned business run by 8 family members from 3 different generations of the Valois family. Collectively, the family has a total experience of over 40 years in horticulture.
13. Shore Natural Rx: This licensed cultivator of marijuana is owned by Jacques Remmell and Erick Bruder of Berlin. It also happens to be the only cultivator of cannabis on Maryland’s lower Eastern Shore.
14. Temescal Wellness: This is mainly a Maryland branch of Temescal. It has a warehouse growing operation in Baltimore. The principals of this firm have several ties to cannabis companies spread across Illinois, New Hampshire, California, Rhode Island, and New York. Ted Rebholz is the president of this firm and he also has experience in the field of information technology before coming into the New Hampshire operation.