A commercial landlord is continuing his legal fight to host a retail cannabis dispensary in Ocean City by appealing his case to Maryland’s second-highest court.
Mike Ramadan filed his appeal with the Appellate Court of Maryland on Feb. 18, and the court issued an order to proceed on March 19. That means the case won’t be diverted to mediation and won’t be dismissed for procedural errors.
“We believe that it’s the right thing to do,” he told OC Today-Dispatch. “We know that’s our right. The law is the law. We’re just following the law. We went through all the procedures, all the steps. We went to the court. Now we’re going to the appeals court because we believe strongly we have a legitimate case.”
The case hinges on a 2024 state law that prohibits municipalities from enacting zoning ordinances that are more restrictive to dispensaries than to alcohol retailers.