Cannabis - Wholesaler License - Establishment

HB 204 establishes a new "wholesaler" license category for cannabis businesses in Maryland, directly affecting entities that buy, store, transport, and distribute cannabis between other licensed cannabis businesses. The bill caps the number of such licenses at 15 (Section 36-401(d)(5)) and requires the Maryland Cannabis Administration to reduce licensing and renewal fees by 50% for wholesalers (Section 36-403(d)(3)). It defines a "wholesaler" as an entity authorized to handle cannabis between other licensees (Section 36-101(kk)) and restricts ownership to one wholesaler license per entity (Section 36-401(e)(19)). These changes formalize wholesale operations within Maryland’s regulated cannabis market.