Beyond Massachusetts, states struggle to limit marijuana behemoths

• Massachusetts is not the only state struggling to limit the dominance of large marijuana companies. 

• Maryland bars companies from owning more than one store, but several companies have publicly said they have multiple outlets there.

In what seems like an open defiance of the spirit of rules designed to level the playing field among competitors, Green Thumb Industries and iAnthus Capital Holdings Inc. both claim three outlets in the state. Wakefield-based Curaleaf Holdings, which already runs a medical marijuana dispensary near Baltimore, said in an investor presentation last month that it plans to have three additional stores operating there under its brand.

Meanwhile, Harvest Health and Recreation Inc., a cannabis company with one store in Maryland, unveiled plans this month to buy Verano Holdings, which has two more. 

A Green Thumb attorney told the Baltimore Sun last year that it believes the Maryland rules only block companies from submitting more than one application for a new license from the state — and doesn’t bar companies from obtaning additional licenses from other companies. An investor presentation in March says it acquired two of its three Maryland licenses.

In addition, the current Maryland law only focuses on ownership, in contrast to the broader language in Massachusetts law that also limits the number of stores companies can “control.” [Read More @ The Boston Globe]