A lawyer who successfully halted the distribution of cannabis licenses in New York is now targeting Maryland.
California lawyer Jeffrey Jensen filed a lawsuit in federal court on Jan. 26 on behalf of his wife Justyna seeking an injunction to stop the Maryland Cannabis Administration (MCA) from distributing any licenses from the 2023 application program. The suit argues that one of Maryland’s three criteria to be eligible for a recreational cannabis license under its social equity program unconstitutionally discriminates against out-of-state applicants.
If successful, the lawsuit could further postpone the awarding of 179 licenses to new businesses throughout the state, a process that has already faced a month-long delay after the MCA said in late December that it needed more time to look over thousands of applications.
The MCA has not responded to the complaint and declined to comment on the lawsuit Tuesday. Jeffrey Jenson also did not respond to calls for comment.
Jeffrey Jensen has filed suits in several other states over their social equity programs for awarding cannabis licenses, including a successful lawsuit in New York that delayed the distribution of cannabis licenses for a large swath of the state for months.
Click here to read the rest of the article written by Matt Hooke over at Baltimore Business Journal
