Maryland Judge Imposes Injunction Against Ban On Intoxicating Hemp Products

A judge in Maryland on Thursday imposed a preliminary injunction against the enforcement of a state law that prohibited the sale of intoxicating hemp products, the Washington Post reports. The lawsuit against the rules was filed in July by the Maryland Hemp Coalition and several hemp farmers and businesses.  

Under the law, only businesses that had medical or adult-use cannabis licenses in the state were permitted to sell intoxicating hemp products and the lawsuit argued that those restrictions violate the Maryland Constitution’s equal protection and anti-monopoly clauses by effectively shutting down their businesses and excluding them from a tightly regulated market. The decision by Circuit Court Judge Brett R. Wilson will allow those businesses to remain operational while the case makes its way through the legal process. 

In a statement, William Tilburg, director of the Maryland Cannabis Administration, said the agency “was disappointed to learn of the preliminary decision in Washington County Circuit Court allowing for the continued sale of unregulated, untested, and intoxicating hemp-derived products.”   

The judge’s order has no effect on the state’s adult-use cannabis licensing process, which is currently underway.