Former Shore hospital CEO takes reins of Md. medical marijuana commission

As Joy Strand sees it, medical marijuana has an image problem in Maryland.

As the new executive director of the state Medical Cannabis Commission, the Princess Anne resident and longtime health care executive hopes to change that.

"I think the perception of exchanges on the street overshadow the fact this is a very highly regulated business," said Strand, who was CEO of Crisfield-based McCready Health from July 2013 to July 2017. "All of the industry partners are very secure and closely monitored. And we regulate with the patients' best interests in mind."

Strand joined the commission at the beginning of December just as the first batches of growers, processors and dispensaries started doing business. She is its third executive director in the past 18 months.

More:Medical marijuana dispensary gets license in West Ocean City

In her first media interview since taking the commission's reins, she told Delmarva Now how she plans to stabilize the regulatory agency and the nascent industry itself.

Many people I speak to in this industry cite a personal connection to medical marijuana, such as having a family member whom they believe could have benefited from the drug. Is that you?

I was very interested in staying in Maryland and being able to serve Maryland in a larger capacity. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do but when this opportunity became available I really did some studying and figured it was a great opportunity to get this program up and running and making it robust for the patients in Maryland.

You say the drug suffers from a perception problem. How do you overcome that?

Part of that is education, studies, data. Science does the best they can do with the information they have at the time. If you study the history of health care, some of the medicines they used in ancient times we wouldn’t even think of using today, and things people thought were poison in the past turn out to have health benefits.

It may not be for everyone, but if it can help some people, then we need to focus on helping people improve their quality of life.

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What was it like stepping into the middle of an industry as it was just getting off the ground?

The program is moving very fast. There’s a lot to learn. I’ve certainly learned a lot already. Since I came, we’ve licensed 12 more dispensaries so we have 80 more to license. We need to talk to industry partners about what’s working well and what’s not working well.

Critics have said the commission failed to ensure diversity among the private growers it chose to license. What, if anything, will you do to address that?

I think the commission intends to have a focus on diversity in all of our operations. 

What's being done about the drug being in such short supply?

Not everyone is up and running to full capacity. There is a supply shortage versus demand. I think the growers that are producing have been very diligent about making sure everybody gets some.

There is more product expected to come out in two weeks, and then coming out in January there will be a greater supply of product as new growers come on line. One of the things I’ve learned is it takes 15-16 weeks to grow a cannabis plant.

Does being the third executive director within the past two years present you with any difficulty? Is there a sense you need to right the ship? 

It’s my impression there has been a lot of criticism of the commission in the past. I’m the very first commissioner that has a health care background, and that’s really my first goal is to create a health care program.

The commission before I got here worked very hard. It was difficult creating something from nothing. It will improve over time. We’ll learn things as we go along.

What takes up most of your time during the day now?

One of my main focuses is to get some positions filled here.

How do you see the program evolving under your management?

I think it’s important to note it’s not just me. We have some great staff and a panel of commissioners who are committed to seeing this program flourish. With my coming on in December, what I get a sense of is the commission is moving forward and gaining a lot of momentum, learning what’s happening across the country, learning the best practices and applying them effectively to the Maryland program.

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On Twitter @Jeremy_Cox

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