A group of 11 Maryland hemp operators is suing the state in federal court as part of an ongoing quest to overturn a 2023 law that requires them to obtain a marijuana license to sell THC products.

In filings made Monday, the group asked a federal judge to either order state authorities to treat hemp operators as if they have a Maryland Cannabis Administration permit or keep authorities from enforcing state law against them.

The lawsuit also asks a judge to declare the state’s marijuana social equity program and caps on cannabis business licenses unconstitutional, according to court records.

Maryland is a limited-license state, with the number of non-social equity license holders already at maximum.

Limiting the number of entrants into Maryland’s regulated marijuana market keeps prices artificially high for consumers – while also maximizing tax returns for the state, the lawsuit alleges.

Annapolis-based attorney Nevin Young, who is representing the plaintiffs, had strong words for Maryland’s marijuana regulations .

“It’s really just communist cannabis ,” Young told the Baltimore Sun.

Hemp remains in legal limbo at best in Maryland, where both regulators and operators are waiting on a state appeals court to rule on an earlier lawsuit brought by the Maryland Hemp Coalition.

That would make Maryland off-limits to the popular hemp-derived THC beverages sold at liquor stores and other mainstream retailers in other states – a situation the lawsuit also seeks to address.

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