Peg Nottingham of Gaithersburg, Md., smokes a strain of medical marijuana called Northern Lights that she obtained at Potomac Holistics in Rockville on Dec. 1. Nottingham uses medical marijuana for nausea from inflammatory bowel disease and chemo-induced neuropathy. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)

Maryland's marijuana regulators on Thursday approved 12 new dispensaries to operate in the state's fledgling legal medical marijuana industry, bringing the total number of fully approved legal storefronts to 22.

At least 60 more dispensaries that received preliminary licenses are still waiting for final approval.

The Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission gave the final sign-off to Positive Energy in Worcester County; Harvest of Maryland, Bloom Medicinals and Herbology in Montgomery County; Nature's Cure and Wellness in Cecil County; Pure Life Wellness and Medical Products and Services in Baltimore City; Revolution Relief and Zen Leaf in Howard County; Charm City Medicus and Temescal Wellness in Baltimore County; and Haven in Prince George's County.

The state's legal medical marijuana industry launched its first sales earlier this month following years of bureaucratic delay. Only a few of the state's 15 approved marijuana growers are ready to deliver their crops to dispensaries and processors, so demand quickly outstripped what storefronts had on their shelves.

The state has more than 10,000 patients fully certified to buy the drug, the commission reported Thursday, and 712 health-care providers approved to write recommendations for marijuana.

Thursday's meeting was the first official public appearance with the commission for newly appointed executive director Joy Strand, the third director to lead the agency in two years. Her most recent predecessor, Patrick Jameson, stepped down in November.



Jeremy Wells, 31, of Bel Air, Md., chats with Peg Nottingham, R, of Gaithersburg, as clients stand in line for medical marijuana at Potomac Holistics on Dec. 1. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)

"If someone had asked me five years ago, 'would I be here today?,' it would have been the furthest thing from my mind, but I think God puts things in front of you when you're ready to accept the challenge," said Strand, a longtime health-care executive who is new to the cannabis industry.

"I'm still on my honeymoon, so I ask your forgiveness for any missteps," she added.