meet the youngest dispensary owner in america

Black medical cannabis consumers of Maryland rejoice! There is a new black-owned dispensary in town ready to fulfill your herbal needs. The dispensary, Mary and Main, is co-owned by Bowie native and Spelman College graduate Hope Wiseman, aged 26, which makes Wiseman the youngest dispensary owner in the entire country. “But, I hope that someone knocks that title right from me as soon as possible,” Wiseman told WUSA9. “Because we need more African Americans in this industry.”

Since medical weed became legalized in the state, Maryland had not approved any black-owned dispensaries for a license, despite a third of Maryland’s population being black. Hopefully, the opening of Mary and Main will be a step in the right direction.

Bowie native Hope Wiseman, 26, says she’s the youngest African-American #cannabis dispensary owner in the US. Her new business, @MaryandMain, opened today in Maryland. Hear from her tonight on @wusa9/11p. pic.twitter.com/W6MmAHkPoN

— John Henry (@JohnHenryWUSA) September 4, 2018

“There’s a difference with going to someone for help that doesn’t look like you,” says Wiseman, whose Spelman degree is in Economics. “Sometimes you might feel a little nervous or like you don’t belong, but we want to make this feel like a place where everybody belongs.” Turn up.

Mary and Main’s official grand opening is September 29th in Capitol Hill, MD.