Maryland Cannabis Lottery Faces Potential New Delay as Social Equity Applicant Sues MCA

Editor’s be aware: this text was contributed by LJ Dawson of The Outlaw Report, and has been republished with permission.

A brand new lawsuit filed in opposition to The Maryland Hashish Administration threatens to delay the lottery after one other separate lawsuit did not get an injunction in February.

A earlier lawsuit filed by Jeffery Jensen, a lawyer with a historical past of bringing social fairness lawsuits in opposition to states, did not get an injunction final month. Andrew Garrison, chief of the workplace of coverage and authorities affairs at MCA, testified that the “[a]dministration anticipates that the hashish license lottery will happen throughout or close to the primary week of March 2024.”

Nonetheless, the lottery has not been launched this week, nor have certified candidates entered within the lottery heard an replace from MCA as of Mar. 5, 2024. MCA didn’t reply to request for remark about this new lawsuit.

A complete of 1,708 functions had been obtained by MCA’s deadline in December. 264 of these functions had been for adult-use dispensaries.

In contrast to the Jensen’s lawsuit which hinged on alleged unconstitutional denial of social fairness standing, this new lawsuit in Anne Arundel County accuses MCA of denying entry to a professional social fairness applicant attributable to laptop system errors.

In response to courtroom documents filed mid-February, Kalil Traore, a 65% proprietor of KG Wellness #4 LLC, was not verified as a social fairness candidate till 19 minutes earlier than the appliance deadline on Dec. 12, 2023.

In lawsuit paperwork obtained by The Outlaw Report, her attorneys allege that the corporate contracted to finish social fairness verifications refused to speak along with her through supplied emails whereas Traore was touring in Africa, considerably delaying her verification.

KG Wellness #4 is one among eight companies beneath that identify registered in early December. In response to lawsuit paperwork, Traore and her investor, Shivana Persuad, search to open a dispensary in Talbot County.