Running a medical marijuana operation could cost each grower more than $125,000 a year in fees, a sum so steep some officials believe it may shut out small businesses. Marylands medical marijuana commission is tentatively proposing that fee for each of the 15 potential growers envisioned for the states new program. The panel also is recommending a $40,000-a-year charge for dispensaries, according to a draft plan expected to be released for public comment Wednesday. Those license fees — atop as much as $6,000 in application fees — would finance the states nascent medical marijuana program. ... It is simply a reflection that the General Assembly has put the operation of this on the growers and the dispensaries, and ultimately upon the patients, he said. There is no taxpayer money, according to the General Assembly, that is going to finance this. ... The number of licenses theyre issuing seems to be incongruent with their perceived demand, Pica said. And with high overhead costs and low demand, Pica said, growers might be forced to increase medical marijuana prices to make ends meet, which would drive patients to the black market.
Posted on: Wed, 24 Sep 2014 14:10:30 +0000
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