There's Already A Shortage Of Medical Marijuana In Maryland

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The first licensed dispensary opened up in the state just days ago, but they're unable to keep up with the high demand.

Some medical marijuana patients say they've waited years for this to open up in Maryland, so waiting just a couple of weeks isn't that big of a set back.

Maryland's medical marijuana dispensaries have almost completely run out of their supply within days of opening.

"It is quite expected -- the demand -- in any new industry is not as consistent as one would like, and so the growers released limited product, and now a lot of folks, because of the high demand, ran out," said William Askinazi, co-owner of Potomoc Holistics.

Askinazi's dispensary, along with the handful that just launched in Maryland, have experienced the same issue.

That forced them to sell a smaller quantity to patients, or turn them away until their next shipment arrived.

This is an issue even the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission expected at least in the beginning.

"The first harvest came through in a smaller amount, second, third, fourth, fifth harvest, which are cyclical, which will start coming through in an abundance, that will satisfy the demand, and then prices will come down," Askinazi said.

The medical marijuana industry is confident this is just a minor setback that will be resolved shortly.

"A lot of the folks on both sides of the aisle, the dispensary aisle, the grower aisle, but most importantly, the patients, understood, and when you roll out any new industry, there will be a few hiccups, and I'm confident we are now over those hiccups," Askinazi added.

The commission has pre-approved nearly 100 other businesses to dispense medical marijuana, but because of the rigorous process, it's unclear when those will open up.

There are currently ten licensed dispensaries in Maryland.

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