Maryland is searching for a new cannabis regulator after Will Tilburg – credited with smoothly implementing the state’s recreational cannabis market – announced his resignation from his post as director of the Maryland Cannabis Administration.
Tilburg said on Wednesday he would step down from his post on December 4.
“It was really important for me to work with the administration to make sure the transition went smoothly,” said Tilburg, who worked on the state’s cannabis policy for six years, including five years as the top regulator for both the medical and recreational cannabis industries.
Lawmakers and industry experts credit Tilburg with understanding the patchwork of cannabis laws in the country and knowing what worked and what didn’t.
Tilburg’s announcement comes nearly 14 months after Maryland’s first legal sale of adult-use recreational cannabis. He leaves the state having earned the respect of both lawmakers and many in the industry he oversees.
“He did the work. That’s what I think earned him the respect. He knew his regulations and his program inside and out. He listened to feedback,” said Jake Van Wingerden, owner of Cecil County-based SunMed Growers and board chairman of the Maryland Wholesale Cannabis Trade Association.
“He turned the thing on and we did $1.2 billion in 12 months and nobody talks about it except when the anniversary comes,” Van Wingerden said. “If you look at other states – New York or New Jersey and other states that have done this, they are disasters. They are chaos. They don’t have a good foundation.”
Tilburg said he has no other job lined up but is instead concentrating on the transition phase.
“I want to make sure this transition is done right. After that, I’m going to find myself,” Tilburg said. “I want to make sure the hard work of all the people who are part of this agency and this industry continues, because the handoffs have been botched in other jurisdictions. That’s the real priority now. My work is not done yet, and I want to get to that finish line.”
Tilburg, a Massachusetts native, came to Maryland to study law “and fell in love with the state.” While working at a clinic during his third year of law school, he was drawn to public service.
“I was running a clinic that worked with the General Assembly, and I thought, ‘Wait a minute, this is a job? You get to do policy, pass laws and help people? I never wanted to leave, and I never did. This is where my family is now,'” he said.
He received his law degree from the University of Maryland School of Law in 2011 and a master’s degree in public health from the University of Maryland School of Public Health in 2017.
Tilburg joined what was then the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission in 2018. Sales of cannabis to medical patients had only recently begun after lawmakers created the program four years earlier.
Licensing issues and litigation – including disputes over the lack of female and black licensees – delayed the program.
“It was no small feat to get our cannabis industry up and running in Maryland,” said Senate Committee on Education, Energy and Environment Chairman Brian J. Feldman (D-Montgomery).
The idea of recreational sales to adults seemed distant at best.
“We were stuck. There were lawsuits, litigation and we passed the medical program several years before it was actually implemented,” Feldman said. “Tilburg came in and solved and dealt with many of those problems. Some of them required legislation.”
Feldman said the state’s move to legalize recreational use in 2022 likely wouldn’t have happened without Tilburg, who became executive director of the Cannabis Commission in 2019. The law that created the framework for recreational sales also created the Maryland Cannabis Administration. Tilburg was its first and only director.
In a statement, Gov. Wes Moore (D) called Tilburg “an exceptional leader, dedicated public servant and one of our country’s most respected voices in the cannabis industry.” He said Maryland’s legalization of adult-use recreational cannabis is a national model and Tilburg shows “how states can move to recreational cannabis in an efficient and equitable manner.”
Moore said the search for a successor is already underway.
Tilburg said it was important to him to give Moore enough time to complete his search.
“This is not something that happens very often in the cannabis regulatory space,” Tilburg said of his long tenure. “The average regulator stays in office for about two to three years. I’ve been in this job for five years now. I’m very lucky to have been in office for so long and I can decide the terms of my departure myself. I’m very grateful and happy about that because it’s a tough job.”
Feldman and other politicians said Tilburg was a knowledgeable and honest information broker.
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“There’s the truth and there’s the way you present the truth,” said CT Wilson (D-Charles), chairman of the House Commerce Committee. “He never twisted a story. He was very direct. You didn’t have to double-check anything he said. You knew he was telling you the good and the bad. He didn’t give you hope. He didn’t give you wishful thinking. He was just pragmatic.”
These qualities and his responsiveness to the General Assembly earned him the respect of lawmakers – even those who did not support the state’s marijuana policy.
“He’s very smart, very ethical. I mean, almost uptight, but I like that,” Wilson said. “That’s what you need — someone who’s just rigid about the roles, wants to do the right thing and doesn’t try to push the envelope or cross it.”
It was this rigor that “made him trustworthy,” Wilson said.
“He has been very strict and has not let the industry take him by surprise, and he has certainly not minced his words,” said Van Wingerden. “Just look at the list of licensing orders and fines imposed on operators.”
Van Wingerden pointed out that SunMed is not among the licensees approved by state cannabis regulators.
“He didn’t let anyone get away with anything, but he was always reasonable,” Van Wingerden said. “I think he did a wonderful job of balancing the wishes of the legislator, the industry – the manufacturers, the pharmacies – and the patients or customers.”
“He was simply the right man for the middle of the road. Straight as an arrow. That’s why he gained so much respect and trust,” said Van Wingerden.
And while Tilburg’s announcement came as a surprise to lawmakers and the industry, no one is concerned that his departure will create uncertainty in Maryland’s cannabis market.
“He has a very good, competent team there,” van Wingerden said of the cannabis administration. “It’s stable. It’s a group of good people there. I think the governor and his staff have big shoes to fill. They’re going to have to find someone, but it’s running. The program is running. He’s in charge of it and he’s done a phenomenal job. We don’t need any changes. We don’t have any major problems. We just need to keep it running stable.”
Wilson said Tilburg’s successor should be knowledgeable about politics and administration, but should not have a direct connection to the industry or be a cannabis advocate.
“That’s why we work so well together here, because none of us were pro-marijuana,” Wilson said of Tilburg. “You meet a lot of people who say, ‘Oh, marijuana is the second coming of Christ. It’s going to save the world.’ We weren’t.”
“It gave us a very clear idea of how this should work. I think that’s what led us to creating the best cannabis laws in the country in terms of building the licensing infrastructure,” Wilson said.
At the moment, Tilburg says he is looking forward to spending more time with his wife and their twin sons.
“My wife Nadia has been very supportive throughout,” he said. “Working here is not like a typical government job. This is also a startup. You have to be able to do a lot of different things because we are still building it up. It’s 24/7 and weekends too.”
“That’s part of it, and I like that. But I have a family that I’d like to see more often, and boys who are… preschoolers and already playing sports and stuff. I definitely want to be more present and find a better balance in the future.”
What is next for Tilburg is as unclear as the question of who will succeed him.
“For the first time in my adult life, I don’t have a job. It’s a little scary, but also exciting,” Tilburg said. “I want to take some time and figure out what’s next.”
He shrugged off questions about entering the world of lobbying.
“Public service is very important to me,” he said. “I love the government. I can imagine that I will try to find something where I can continue this service that is really important to me.”
