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Maryland’s legal weed launch: Here’s the details

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It ain’t just the summertime humidity: the air in Maryland is about to get extra sticky.

Starting July 1, adults can start buying legal cannabis in the Old Line State. Nearly one hundred existing medical marijuana providers across Maryland may offer flower, edibles, vapes and more to anyone over the age of 21.

While Maryland officials have put in the work to ensure that the shift to recreational cannabis goes as smoothly as possible, residents and visitors alike have plenty of questions. 

Rest assured, Leafly’s got what you need. Read on to learn more about possession limits in Maryland, the word on hot stores, what’s for sale and much more.

A map of Maryland, surrounded by prohibition states like Pennsylvania and Virginia. (MDOT, GIS)

Saturday—July, 1, 2023.

Currently operating medical dispensaries will begin selling to adult customers on July 1. Opening hours will vary.

Maryland will additionally begin to approve new licenses starting this summer. The state will reserve the first round of licenses for social equity applicants. Look out for new stores and brands coming soon!

How much weed is legal in Maryland?

A picture of an ounce of aromatic, fresh, tasty small indoor-grown buds that sells for $180 out the door at We Are Hemp. (David Downs/Leafly)
An ounce of outdoor smalls. (David Downs/Leafly)

Consumers can rejoice in knowing that Maryland law offers very reasonable limits on possession.

Got up to 1.5 ounces? You’re fully in the clear. If you’re stopped by law enforcement with 1.5 to 2.5 ounces, the state will subject you solely to a $100 fine. Possession of more than 2.5 ounces may result in arrest.

Adults can additionally possess up to 12 grams of hash.

Medical patients retain even more lenient possession rights: 120 grams of pot, and/or 36 grams of hash.

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Maryland also permits adults to grow up to two plants per residence—not two plants per adult. In keeping with other states’ laws, these plants cannot be visible to the public. Medical patients can grow four plants instead of two.

The possession of drug paraphernalia will also become legal on July 1, but selling, distributing or advertising may result in a $500 fine.

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Here’s more good news: Maryland prohibits law enforcement from using the odor of weed, as well as the suspicion of possession, as probable cause to search your car. 

Don’t forget: Unlike its northerly neighbor, New York, Maryland prohibits public consumption. You can get slapped with a $50 fine for a first offense, and more for repeated offenses.

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Maryland dispensary rules

Dispensaries will need to play by the rules set out in Maryland law.

For the time being, only existing medical providers will have a green-light to sell recreational weed.

Those businesses will ID customers to make sure they’re old enough to enter. They will also need to track and trace sales.

Shops cannot advertise with outdoor signs. They can’t appeal to minors, or advertise with cartoons, pets, kids, or candy. You can’t smoke, vape, dab, or drink in a shop. State law also prohibits nudity in Maryland pot shops. You’re beautiful, Maryland, but…fair enough.

How much does weed cost in Maryland per gram, eighth, and ounce?

Looking at Leafly menus, we see grams ranging from $8 to $15 and eighth-ounces of flower going for $25 to $50. We’ve seen some solid discounts on half ounces, too: $100 to $120. 

Don’t forget to factor in a 9% sales tax into your purchase as well.

Where to buy weed in Maryland

Leafly’s map of cannabis for sale in Baltimore. Tap the map to shop. (Leafly)

We expect about 94 stores will open their doors to rec customers on Saturday, July 1—making Maryland one of the bigger state launches in US history. 

On June 16, the Maryland Cannabis Administration published a handy list of those 94 stores eligible to serve all adults 21+ with I.D. 

The lion’s share of adult-use stores will open in and around Baltimore, but other cities, from the capital of Annapolis to the DC suburbs of Silver Spring, as well as smaller towns, will open their doors to rec customers, too.

You can peruse that list of stores here.

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Lumpy's Apple Fritter (David Downs/Leafly)
Lumpy’s Apple Fritter (David Downs/Leafly)

Look, we gotta hand it to Maryland: They’ve got a pretty sophisticated market and refined tastes. Baltimore ranks as a top US weed city, and the state’s mature medical industry continuously knocks it out of the park. 

Don’t believe us? The data speakers for itself. Top strains in Maryland include Gelato Cake, Spritzer, and Apple Fritter

Customers can lay their hands on a wide selection of vapes, edibles, concentrates, tinctures and topicals, too.

Read more in our Maryland legalization shopping guide Tuesday.

Recreational weed delivery is legal in 11 states and climbing. (Leafly file photo by Jamie Soja Photography)
Maryland has cannabis delivery on day 1, but it’s medical-only. (Leafly file photo by Jamie Soja Photography)

Yes, but only for medical cannabis patients, for the time being. Use it to scoop up your favorite flower before the next guy does.

How will the launch of adult-use sales affect Maryland medical marijuana patients?

Every store must “ensure that it has adequate supply” for medical patients, and either offer exclusive hours for patients to shop, or dedicated service lines for them.

Will supplies hold up?

We don’t think so. Demand usually outpaces supply when state markets launch. The fact that Maryland has several neighboring states with no legal sales (Pennsylvania, Virginia, Delaware) suggest even more demand than the average launch.

Use order ahead, pickup, and delivery (medical-only) to beat the rush. Give yourself time to wait in line and enjoy some history. We expect high demand to continue amid limited supplies for several months at a minimum.

What are some good stores to check out?

Baltimore’s Blair Wellness and Ethos Dispensary both got shout-outs from locals when we asked around. Goldleaf in Annapolis, Waave in Greenbelt and Green Point Wellness in Laurel all rank among Marylanders’ favorite shops on Leafly.

What are Maryland’s weed taxes?

Maryland levies a 9% sales tax on all cannabis products—the same rate they use for alcohol. Cities and counties cannot add local taxes.

What’s the latest with expungements and equity licenses in Maryland?

The process is underway. House Bill 837—one of the two legalization bills that Maryland lawmakers passed in advance of the state’s legalization vote—stipulates that officials must expunge all possession charges in the state (in cases where possession was the sole charge) by July 1, 2024.

Maryland will reserve the first round of new licenses for social equity applicants. 

Stores must reserve at least 25% of shelf space for social equity brands.

Can Maryland cities opt out of sales? 

Maryland cannot prevent existing dispensaries from becoming dual license—adult-use and medical marijuana—businesses.

Does Maryland have weed lounges?

Not yet, but officials will eventually green-light up to fifty on-site consumption licenses.



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America’s top weed cities of 2024 announced

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America’s tens of millions of stoners need not endure unequal access to their life-saving medicine and safer alternative to alcohol. They can vote with their feet for some fine cannabis cities, or stay to fix the terrible ones. Right now, all across the US, Americans enjoy widely different levels of weed freedom.

Real Estate Witch’s website computed the top 50 best weed cities in America, and the differences speak volumes. Denver, CO ranks No. 1. Louisville, KY ranks dead last. Below, Leafly presents some highlights and picks from each spot.

No. 1 Denver, CO

Apple Fritter. (Courtesy Veritas, Colorado)
Apple Fritter. (Courtesy Veritas, Colorado)

John Denver wasn’t kidding! The Mile High City defends its name with a first-place finish in the stoner city rankings for 2024. I mean, it has a fricking Mile High 420 Fest. Colorado legalized in 2012, and today a mature cannabis industry competes to serve the highest-quality flower and extracts at the lowest price. Denver has nearly four times as many shops per capita as Los Angeles, and the top-shelf ounce average price there bucked inflation, falling $1 in the last year to $242 per ounce. Whether it’s fine dining, shows at Red Rocks, stunning trails, or killer art, Denver delivers for its irie residents and visitors. We can’t wait to visit again.

No. 2 Portland, OR

Moonbow #99 grown by Archive Portland. Indica hybrid. (David Downs/Leafly)
Moonbow #99 grown by Archive Portland. Indica hybrid. (David Downs/Leafly)

Leafly smokers are in love with Oregon’s world-class growers and their extract scene. From Archive, to Decibel, to Left Coast Standard to TrueCare Farms, Oregon has the juice! It sports the Northwest Cannafest, a crazy specialty in GMO Cookies, and even balanced CBD strains.

See all of our Oregon stories to smoke like a local.

No. 3 Las Vegas, NV

Ghost Train Haze goes choo-choo in Sin City. (Courtesy Nature’s Chemistry)

Sin City aims to corner the market on turnt-up cannabis fun. Las Vegas offers legal tree from the second you land. There’s kiosks in the airport, and the cabbies will drive you straight to da club. Combo that cannabis with a trippy visit to The Sphere, some tasty food, and so much more. The cherry on top: Las Vegas’ licensed cannabis smoking lounges are finally opening up. Read our Las Vegas weed visitor’s guide.

No. 4 Buffalo, NY

According to Whitney Economics, just 4 percent of New York smokers consume licensed cannabis. That’s a failure. But not in Buffalo, NY, where locals—including indigenous communities—charted a speedy path to tons of stores and literal tons of cultivation. That’s how you get safe access and do the will of the voters. Buffalo outranks New York City—ouch! Go Bills!

No. 5 Baltimore, MD

Special Sauce in a jar at Baltimore’s Charm City Smoke Fest (J.M. Giordano for Leafly)

American cannabis regulators don’t want to learn from their competitors in other states. But we can still beg them to study Maryland. which canna-balled into adult-use sales in 2023 with a smash success launch. Existing medical growers bulked up, stores flipped from medical to recreational, and supplies never ran dry. May the speedy reconstruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge inspire us all.

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Read more of our Maryland stories.

No. 6 Phoenix, AZ

(David Downs/Leafly)
That Badu. Cookies opens its first store in Arizona—Cookies Tuscon June 24. (David Downs/Leafly)

It’s so great to see this big desert city flower into a cannabis capital. Phoenix has a huge amount of large-scale indoor cultivation bringing down prices. Its regulators did a savvy job of spreading clubs around the state, and getting city buy-in with the carrot of tax revenue, and another special incentive. Cities that ban stores must allow home-growers.

No. 7 Seattle, WA

Torus Gas Face. Hybrid sativa. (David Downs/Leafly)
Torus Gas Face. Hybrid sativa. Gassy! (David
Downs/Leafly)

Shout-out to all the amazing breeders and growers of Washington: From Exotic Genetix, to Torus, to Artizen to Freddy’s Fuego, Phat Panda, and Constellation rosin. The party is on Bainbridge Island this 4/20!

No. 8 Sacramento, CA

Flo White from Amplified Farms 26.8% THC (David Downs/Leafly)
Flo White from Amplified Farms 26.8% THC (David Downs/Leafly)

The world doesn’t know it yet, but Sacramento is going to run away with the weed bag. Killer indoor ships statewide from California’s capitol—Alien Labs, Amplified Farms, Natura, Seven Leaves, and so much more. SacTo is perfectly positioned between the foothills, the mountains, and the coast—with water, power, labor, and affordable land. Locals enjoy fine cannabis at fair prices from plentiful stores, and combine it with tasty eats, trips to the Sacramento River, and the mountains. Go meet your legislator with California NORML May 8, and demand ‘Deli-style.’

No. 9 Kansas City, MO

The Good Day Farm dispensary serves adults 21 and older now in Kansas City. (Courtesy Good Day Farm)
The Good Day Farm dispensary serves adults 21 and older now in Kansas City. (Courtesy Good Day Farm)

Hot damn! Welcome, Kansas City, Missouri, to America’s top 10 weed cities. Missouri pulled off an epic, drama-free 2023 legalization launch and K.C. is on fire with NFL champs The Chiefs, a new airport, a cleaned-up downtown, and the impending arrival of the US Women’s Soccer team stadium. Missouri has solid medical indoor that flipped to recreational, and they are rapidly getting up the learning curve on dope strains. Plus, world-class barbecue, jazz, shopping, affordability, and plenty of room for newcomers.

No. 10 Providence, RI

The East Coast continues to come alive with legal cannabis, and Providence’s jump up seven spots to rank in the top 10 is a testament to its progress. What is going on in Providence? Well, weed is fully legal. They’re epically passionate, and the town boasts twice as many head shops per capita as Seattle. It’s hard to find a map, but once you get there, expect to find weed-friends. 

How we rank the top US weed cities 

Real Estate Witch conjured its results by giving cities points for:

  • Legality of cannabis
  • The cost of weed
  • Consumer interest as measured by Google Trends
  • Dispensaries per 100,000 residents
  • Doctors per 100,000 residents
  • Average rating of dispensaries out of 5 stars
  • Site visitors to Leafly
  • And the prevalence of head shops, concert venues, fast food restaurants, hiking trails, and movie theaters

The ten worst cannabis cities in the US

By that token, here are the ten worst weed cities in America, as well:

  • Louisville, KY
  • Dallas, TX
  • Atlanta, GA
  • Houston, TX
  • Birmingham, AL
  • Nashville, TN
  • Charlotte, NC
  • Milwaukee, WI
  • Memphis, TN
  • Indianapolis, IN

Go to Real Estate Witch for more details.

And that’s a breezy walk through the top 10 weed cities in the US. You can find your tree in any of them using Leafly, so download the app and tap in to win. Enjoy this golden age of cannabis coast to coast!





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2024 Las Vegas weed visitor’s guide

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In a few months, the self-proclaimed entertainment capital of the world will make the case for itself as the weed capital of the world. Las Vegas’ seven-old legal cannabis program is a fine-tuned machine, but there’s one final shot in the arm coming this spring: nice places to smoke it.

Sin City is home to 70 dispensaries—all within a 15-mile radius of the Strip—that accommodate the 45 million annual visitors looking to buy legal cannabis, as well as 3 million locals in the metro area. Clever entrepreneurs have additionally built a bustling industry around legal cannabis with everything from ganja-inspired tour buses to 420-friendly yoga classes.  

Read on to learn how to make your Vegas trip spectacular, with the best of what the city has to offer weed tourists in 2024:

What are Las Vegas’ cannabis laws?

Weed is legal for all adults 21 and older, but for now, you still can’t legally consume it outside of a private residence. That being said, Las Vegas Police have bigger fish to fry than busting people smoking weed in public or carrying more of it than the legal limit. You won’t get arrested unless you’re toting an exorbitant quantity (think 1 pound or more). The worst that usually happens, if officers notice at all, is that you’ll be told to put out your blunt and perhaps throw it away.

New in 2024: Nevada’s possession limit has doubled. Adults can buy up to two ounces of flower or a quarter-ounce of concentrates per day from a legal dispensary.

“It’s a special time for cannabis tourism in Las Vegas,” said Tick Segerblom, a county commissioner best known as Nevada’s Godfather of Cannabis for his role in advancing legal weed a few years back as a state senator.

Get the full details of the law on Leafly’s Learn Legalization page for Nevada. Also be sure to check out official government sources.

(Courtesy of The Source)

Back in 2017, in the early days of rec cannabis in Nevada, Sin City’s licensed cannabis stores were popping up like bags of Orville Redenbacher. But after a roller-coaster period of changes in ownership and a few closures, many stores have remained operational for several years and counting. Our latest tally lists 70 operational dispensaries in the Las Vegas Valley, which includes the neighboring cities of North Las Vegas, Henderson and a swath of land in unincorporated Clark County. 

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Check out Leafly Finder for a map of licensed cannabis stores in Las Vegas proper.

What’s the closest legal weed store to the Las Vegas airport?

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The Grove—located at 4647 South University Center—has long been the first stop for 420 travelers when they get off the plane in Vegas. Located less than a mile from Harry Reid International Airport, it’s open 24 hours and was one of the city’s original batch of dispensaries back in 2015.

If you’re looking for more options, check out the nearby MedMen at 4503 Paradise Road and Pisos, a little ways north, at 4110 South Maryland Parkway. All three stores offer online ordering for same-day pickup and usually have minimal, if any, wait time for walk-in customers.

For stores that have not advertised with Leafly, Nevada’s Cannabis Compliance Board keeps a list of licensed retailers.

What’s the best weed to buy in Las Vegas?

Oh, there’s a ton of good stuff. Leafly has started offering professional ratings of cannabis in Las Vegas, and here are some of our top pics:

Budtenders at some of Vegas’ most popular dispensaries — Planet 13, NuWu, Reef and Thrive — tell Leafly they recommend Blue Dream, Gorilla Glue #4, Ghost Train Haze, and Jenny Kush.

The most popular brands include Green Life Productions and Medizin. We also like The Grower Circle and Polaris.

The top 10 strains of Nevada in 2024—based on strain detail page sessions per month at Leafly—are:

In addition to flower, we enjoy Vert Unlimited candies and Vegas Valley Growers’ vapes.

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illustration of vegas skyline at night (Chris Kudialis for Leafly)
(Chris Kudialis for Leafly)

What can I do when I’m high in Las Vegas?

The possibilities are endless! Here are our best bets:

For an action-packed sensory-serving experience, check out:

For a chill yet fun and social time in Las Vegas, try:

For some awesome Vegas munchies, go to:

Las Vegas weed visitors’ frequently asked questions:

Do Vegas dispensaries keep my personal information when they scan my ID?

They say they don’t. And by state law, they’re not supposed to. The goal behind scanning your ID is simply to have your information on file while you shop and to identify you when you check out. Most stores wipe your ID from their system within 24 hours, if not sooner.

Are Vegas weed stores still cash-only, or can I use a credit card? How about ApplePay, Venmo, PayPal and cryptocurrency?

Cash is king.

Most Las Vegas dispensaries accept debit cards, but it requires some banking judo and fees, though. Pot shops don’t take credit cards or Apple Pay, PayPal, Venmo, crypto, or any of that. 

Is plastic worth the convenience? Perhaps, if you don’t mind spending a few extra bucks. But honestly, just go with cash if you can.

When will the weed lounges be up and running?

Stay tuned to Leafly for the answer. Download the Leafly app and turn on notifications and we’ll ping you.

At least three state-licensed lounges are scheduled to finally open in Las Vegas on 4/20 this year: The Reserve at Nevada Wellness Center, Dazed at Planet 13, and Smoke & Mirrors at Thrive.

We’ve been waiting for this day in Las Vegas since 2017. The Nevada state legislature offered some hope by passing a bill to green-light lounges all the way back in 2021. Three years later, and there’s still only one lounge: The SkyHigh Lounge on tribal land just north of downtown Las Vegas exists thanks to a special pact between Nevada tribes and the governor’s office.

Can I trust the weed at Las Vegas stores?

Sure. In recent years, Nevada issued several cannabis recalls due to faulty testing and inflated THC counts from the state’s testing labs; a sign of the system working. The state’s Cannabis Compliance Board has cracked down since 2022. Buy with confidence, the weed will be great.

Looking beyond Las Vegas?

Here’s a map to some of Leafly’s other top dispensary picks across Nevada.

Any more questions? 

Drop us a comment to let us know what else you want to see in our Las Vegas visitors guide and we’ll get on it!



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5 easy THC cocktails for a Cali Sober Drynuary 2024

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By Stephanie Ganz

We’ve hit 2024 running, Leafly nation! The New Year brings with it a new batch of aspirational resolutions and a hard look at the past year’s habits. This might mean more time at the gym, reading an actual book cover to cover, and for many, cutting out alcohol. Or at least for the month of January, aka Drynuary.

Personally, I like to strike a balance between avoiding alcohol and my craving for sessionable, fun cocktails with a Cali Sober approach, by incorporating cannabis-infused sodas and ‘spirits’ into classic cocktail recipes—all of the flavor without compromising my goals. Here are my five favorite easy, highly sippable libations for Drynuary and beyond.

Raspberry Long Island Iced Tea-HC Mocktail

(Courtesy Stephanie Ganz)

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Fill a tall glass with ice.
  2. Add Pamos Raspberry beverage.
  3. Top off with a splash of cola, and garnish with a lemon wedge.

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Greyhound THC Mocktail

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Fill a rocks glass with ice.
  2. Pour Sprig Citrus THC beverage and grapefruit juice.
  3. Stir gently, and garnish with a grapefruit wedge.

Cucumber Mojito THC Mocktail

(Courtesy Stephanie Ganz)

Ingredients

Directions

  1. In a tall glass, thoroughly muddle 1 cucumber slice and 4 sprigs mint.
  2. Fill with ice.
  3. Pour Calexo Cucumber Citron, and stir gently.
  4. Garnish with remaining cucumber slice and mint.

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Guide: How to make cannabis drinks at home

Zesty Mimosa THC Mocktail

(Courtesy Stephanie Ganz)

Directions

  1. Fill a pint glass with ice.
  2. Pour in Fable Best Zest Sparkling drink and orange juice, and stir gently to combine.
  3. Garnish with orange wedge.

Ranch Water THC Mocktail

Ingredients

  • 3 oz. Pamos Cannabis Spirit (approximately 10 mg THC and 4 mg CBD)
  • 1.5 oz. lime juice
  • Topo Chico sparkling water
  • Lime wheel

Directions

  1. Fill a tall glass with ice.
  2. Add Pamos Cannabis Spirit and lime juice.
  3. Top off with a splash of Topo Chico.
  4. Stir gently, and garnish with lime wheel.



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