As adult use programs sweep across the Northeast, medical programs almost seem like an afterthought. But a strong medical program can help prop up new adult use operators in the beginning and can also be a reliable source of customers when flower prices crash during times of oversupply.
Unfortunately, most Northeastern states do not regularly report their medical patient totals, or if they do, it’s not presented in an easily accessible manner. To get a picture of where medical programs stand in multiple states, we had to scrape old regulator websites, rummage through archived PowerPoints, and recruit friendly state communications staff to help us find data.
What we found is that for most Northeastern states, medical programs have remained steady over the past year – with the exception of New York, which saw a plunge in February.
Instead of on a monthly basis, Connecticut reports its data annually, although regulators could not provide us with totals from 2020 or 2021, the pandemic years.
Finally, looking at the states on a per capita basis, it becomes clear which states have the strongest medical programs: Maryland and Pennsylvania. Both of which have two things in common: Relatively easy systems to acquire medical cards (some in Pennsylvania are wondering if it’s too easy}, and a large number of dispensaries across the states.
