{"id":11560137,"date":"2025-07-16T12:54:36","date_gmt":"2025-07-16T16:54:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/?p=11560137"},"modified":"2025-07-16T18:54:35","modified_gmt":"2025-07-16T22:54:35","slug":"maryland-counties-still-interested-in-hosting-state-cannabis-incubator-as-site-search-reopens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/2025\/07\/16\/maryland-counties-still-interested-in-hosting-state-cannabis-incubator-as-site-search-reopens\/","title":{"rendered":"Maryland counties still interested in hosting state cannabis incubator as site search reopens"},"content":{"rendered":"

At least two Maryland counties have expressed interest in hosting the state\u2019s cannabis incubator<\/a>\u00a0after Gov. Wes Moore\u00a0scrapped a plan<\/a> to house it at <\/span>the Catonsville Armory in Baltimore County earlier this month.<\/p>\n

The Maryland Economic Development Corporation (MEDCO)<\/a> identified 37 potential incubator sites in six counties in a December 2023 report<\/a>. Now, program leaders are reviewing the list after Moore\u2019s decision.<\/p>\n

Montgomery County, which had seven properties listed in the 2023 report, submitted a revised, shorter list to MEDCO last week of properties that could work for the incubator. The previous properties Montgomery County listed were a mix of office, retail and industrial sites in Rockville, Olney, Damascus and Bethesda.<\/p>\n

Dorchester County also remains interested in such an incubator, Susan Banks, the director of the county’s Economic Development Office, said this week. Dorchester listed two sites in 2023 for the project. <\/p>\n

“We had hoped the incubator could co-locate with an existing business and utilize those resources, bringing in additional jobs and expanding the tax base,” Banks said.<\/p>\n

Prince George’s County listed six properties for the incubator in 2023. Of the six, three are still available, a county spokesperson confirmed. These include a 29,325-square-foot industrial building in Hyattsville and two retail centers in Oxon Hill and Clinton. County officials did not respond when asked if they were still interested in the project, however.<\/p>\n

Other counties included in the 2023 MEDCO site list were Garrett, Somerset and Anne Arundel. Garrett and Somerset counties did not respond to multiple requests for a comment, and Anne Arundel County declined to comment.<\/p>\n

The incubator, which is the first state-run program of its kind nationwide, would support around 60 cannabis micro-businesses that need help accessing equipment or space, according to the Maryland Cannabis Administration\u2019s (MCA) website. Plans for the Catonsville Armory were scrapped after community members raised concerns with its proximity to Catonsville Elementary School, prompting Moore to reopen the search.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have instructed the agencies to identify locations that are not within close proximity to residential communities and schools. The agencies will begin this new process immediately, conduct extensive community and stakeholder engagement, and work quickly to move the project forward,\u201d Moore said in his statement about the decision.<\/p>\n

The $7 million project would give licensees, such as microprocessors or microdispensaries, space to process and store their products. It would not sell or grow any cannabis onsite, but rather \u201cis for licensees to jumpstart their businesses and acquire skills in a supportive environment,\u201d the cannabis agency said.<\/p>\n

The program \u201cis a critical step toward leveling the playing field for micro-licensees,\u201d said Michelle Rutter Friberg, the director of government relations at the National Cannabis Industry Association. \u201cBy lowering barriers to entry, the program empowers small businesses to thrive in a competitive industry while advancing equity and innovation in the state\u2019s regulated cannabis market.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Catonsville Armory was not included in the 2023 site list but was chosen because of its reinforced security vaults and its central location, according to the Maryland Cannabis Administration’s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But local residents protested the idea, with one resident, Josh Jackson, organizing a Change.org<\/a> petition that got more than 850 signatures. In addition to its closeness to the elementary school, the petition brought up concerns with \u201cnuisance smells from the processing of cannabis.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the MCA\u2019s website, the incubator\u2019s facility would feature \u201cstate-of-the-art odor mitigation systems.\u201d These include air filtration, sealed rooms and other HVAC measures.<\/p>\n

The Catonsville Armory was scheduled to begin a year-long renovation this month to prepare it for housing an incubator.<\/p>\n\n

The MCA and MEDCO did not respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Moore-Miller Administration will work expeditiously \u2014 but thoughtfully and deliberately \u2014 to select the new site,\u201d the MCA stated on its website. \u201cAt this time, we do not have a projected date for when a new site might be announced, but we will provide updates as they become available.\u201d<\/p>\n

Have a news tip? Contact Irit Skulnik at iskulnik@baltsun.com<\/a> or on X as @irit_skulnik.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At least two Maryland counties have expressed interest in hosting the\u00a0state\u2019s cannabis incubator\u00a0after Gov. Wes Moore\u00a0scrapped the plan for housing it at the Catonsville Armory in Baltimore County earlier this month.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":284,"featured_media":10138369,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"apple_news_api_created_at":"2025-07-16T16:54:40Z","apple_news_api_id":"4367924f-eb28-4570-924b-70dfda488459","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2025-07-16T22:54:38Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQ==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AQ2eST-soRXCSS3Df2kiEWQ","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"middle","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"subheadline":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[71,84,90,85],"tags":[24457],"feature":[],"location":[223],"type-of-work":[],"coauthors":[26744],"class_list":["post-11560137","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-local-news","category-marijuana","category-news","tag-social","location-maryland"],"post_status":"","edit_last":0,"edit_lock":0,"highlights":"","original_byline":"","original_canonical":"","original_category":"","original_email":"","original_id":0,"original_pubdate":"","original_source":"","primary_section":"71","primary_tag":0,"print_workflow_body":{"deck_headline":"","print_title":"Maryland counties still interested in hosting state cannabis incubator as site search reopens","print_subheadline":"","print_priority":"","print_placement":"cover","print_planned_ready":"","print_pub_date":"","print_slug":"TBS-L-CANNABISLOCATION-0717","print_budget_line":"","print_excerpt":"At least two Maryland counties have expressed interest in hosting the\u00a0state\u2019s cannabis incubator\u00a0after Gov. Wes Moore\u00a0scrapped the plan for housing it at the Catonsville Armory in Baltimore County earlier this month.","print_notes":"","photo_limits":"Photo limits are: 1 featured image, 5 featured gallery images, 5 embedded gallery images and 5 in-article embedded images. Articles that exceed these limits will not export. Please adjust images to reflect these limits.","print_featured_gallery_richtext":"","print_inline_galleries_richtext":"","print_inline_images_richtext":"","print_content":"

At least two Maryland counties have expressed interest in hosting the state\u2019s cannabis incubator<\/a>\u00a0after Gov. Wes Moore\u00a0scrapped a plan<\/a> to house it at <\/span>the Catonsville Armory in Baltimore County earlier this month.<\/p>

The Maryland Economic Development Corporation (MEDCO)<\/a> identified 37 potential incubator sites in six counties in a December 2023 report<\/a>. Now, program leaders are reviewing the list after Moore\u2019s decision.<\/p>

Montgomery County, which had seven properties listed in the 2023 report, submitted a revised, shorter list to MEDCO last week of properties that could work for the incubator. The previous properties Montgomery County listed were a mix of office, retail and industrial sites in Rockville, Olney, Damascus and Bethesda.<\/p>

Dorchester County also remains interested in such an incubator, Susan Banks, the director of the county's Economic Development Office, said this week. Dorchester listed two sites in 2023 for the project.<\/p>

\"We had hoped the incubator could co-locate with an existing business and utilize those resources, bringing in additional jobs and expanding the tax base,\" Banks said.<\/p>

Prince George's County listed six properties for the incubator in 2023. Of the six, three are still available, a county spokesperson confirmed. These include a 29,325-square-foot industrial building in Hyattsville and two retail centers in Oxon Hill and Clinton. County officials did not respond when asked if they were still interested in the project, however.<\/p>

Other counties included in the 2023 MEDCO site list were Garrett, Somerset and Anne Arundel. Garrett and Somerset counties did not respond to multiple requests for a comment, and Anne Arundel County declined to comment.<\/p>

The incubator, which is the first state-run program of its kind nationwide, would support around 60 cannabis micro-businesses that need help accessing equipment or space, according to the Maryland Cannabis Administration\u2019s (MCA) website. Plans for the Catonsville Armory were scrapped after community members raised concerns with its proximity to Catonsville Elementary School, prompting Moore to reopen the search.<\/p>

\u201cI have instructed the agencies to identify locations that are not within close proximity to residential communities and schools. The agencies will begin this new process immediately, conduct extensive community and stakeholder engagement, and work quickly to move the project forward,\u201d Moore said in his statement about the decision.<\/p>

The $7 million project would give licensees, such as microprocessors or microdispensaries, space to process and store their products. It would not sell or grow any cannabis onsite, but rather \u201cis for licensees to jumpstart their businesses and acquire skills in a supportive environment,\u201d the cannabis agency said.<\/p>

The program \u201cis a critical step toward leveling the playing field for micro-licensees,\u201d said Michelle Rutter Friberg, the director of government relations at the National Cannabis Industry Association. \u201cBy lowering barriers to entry, the program empowers small businesses to thrive in a competitive industry while advancing equity and innovation in the state\u2019s regulated cannabis market.\u201d<\/p>

The Catonsville Armory was not included in the 2023 site list but was chosen because of its reinforced security vaults and its central location, according to the Maryland Cannabis Administration's website<\/a>.<\/p>

But local residents protested the idea, with one resident, Josh Jackson, organizing a Change.org<\/a> petition that got more than 850 signatures. In addition to its closeness to the elementary school, the petition brought up concerns with \u201cnuisance smells from the processing of cannabis.\u201d<\/p>

According to the MCA\u2019s website, the incubator\u2019s facility would feature \u201cstate-of-the-art odor mitigation systems.\u201d These include air filtration, sealed rooms and other HVAC measures.<\/p>

The Catonsville Armory was scheduled to begin a year-long renovation this month to prepare it for housing an incubator.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

The MCA and MEDCO did not respond to requests for comment.<\/p>

\u201cThe Moore-Miller Administration will work expeditiously \u2014 but thoughtfully and deliberately \u2014 to select the new site,\u201d the MCA stated on its website. \u201cAt this time, we do not have a projected date for when a new site might be announced, but we will provide updates as they become available.\u201d<\/p>

Have a news tip? Contact Irit Skulnik at iskulnik@baltsun.com<\/a> or on X as @irit_skulnik.<\/em><\/p>"},"print_workflow_exported_ts":"1752706503","print_workflow_exported_username":"Alazar Moges","print_workflow_shapes":"","print_workflow_side":{"print_section":"24225","print_status":"24232","add_export_buttons":"","print_endpoint":"tribune"},"really_short_title":"","short_title":"","syndication_source":"","market_neutral_title":"","social_title":"","dfm_hub_post_id":0,"paywall_level":"","featured_media_content":{"content_type":"image","content":{"id":10138369,"title":"Cannabis in Maryland","filename":"TBS-L-CANNAGROW-05.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/TBS-L-CANNAGROW-05.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/cannabis-in-maryland-2\/","alt":"","author":"36","description":"","caption":"Young cannabis plants are seen in a grow room at Culta in Cambridge. (Jerry Jackson\/Staff)","name":"cannabis-in-maryland-2","status":"inherit","uploadedTo":0,"date":1719494738000,"modified":1752611679000,"menuOrder":0,"mime":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.svg","dateFormatted":"June 27, 2024","nonces":{"update":false,"delete":false,"edit":false},"editLink":false,"meta":false,"authorName":"dfm-photoupload","authorLink":"","filesizeInBytes":2171201,"filesizeHumanReadable":"2 MB","context":"","height":2000,"width":3000,"orientation":"landscape","sizes":{"thumbnail":{"height":"150","width":"150","url":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/TBS-L-CANNAGROW-05.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","orientation":"landscape"},"medium":{"height":200,"width":300,"url":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/TBS-L-CANNAGROW-05.jpg?w=300","orientation":"landscape"},"large":{"height":683,"width":1024,"url":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/TBS-L-CANNAGROW-05.jpg?w=1024","orientation":"landscape"},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/TBS-L-CANNAGROW-05.jpg","height":2000,"width":3000,"orientation":"landscape"}},"custom_caption":"The search for a space for Maryland's cannabis incubator is back on after the Catonsville Armory was scrapped earlier this month."},"data":[{"id":10138369,"title":"Cannabis in Maryland","filename":"TBS-L-CANNAGROW-05.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/TBS-L-CANNAGROW-05.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/cannabis-in-maryland-2\/","alt":"","author":"36","description":"","caption":"Young cannabis plants are seen in a grow room at Culta in Cambridge. 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