The air inside SunMed Growers' sprawling, $10 million cannabis greenhouse was thick with the citrusy aroma of freshly harvested Lemon Skunk.
Outside, heavy machinery cleared land for about 30,000 additional plants.
"This is tripling for medical," said owner Jake Van Wingerden, a former chairman of the Maryland Wholesale Medical Cannabis Trade Association. "We're ready to double again if recreational comes along."
After a rocky start, Maryland's medical cannabis industry is expanding. Cultivators across the state are dramatically adding capacity — to meet the needs of patients flooding the market and to potentially service recreational users in the future
Industry analysts had predicted the market would gross $60 million in sales by its third year. But by the end of its first year, in December, purveyors' gross sales surpassed $96 million.
Then lawmakers authorized the sale of edible cannabis products.
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