COAST Cannabis Co. is riding a wave down the eastern seaboard just in time to reach Maryland this summer. With its organic, handcrafted blend of edibles, the popular brand based out of Massachusetts hopes its splash extends from Ocean City to the Chesapeake Bay and beyond.
“The Maryland community has been very welcoming!” said co-owner Angela Brown. “We were outside Camden Yards the other day meeting with people in the industry and just taking in a bit of Baltimore. There are so many similarities between Marylanders and folks from Massachusetts, it really feels like we’re back in Boston.”

Brown and her husband, co-owner Brian Cusick, have been on a barnstorming tour of the state, meeting with stakeholders in a variety of cities and towns across Maryland. The pair founded COAST Cannabis Co. in 2017, becoming the first independent Cannabis product manufacturer to reach stores in Massachusetts in 2020. Their small team has since expanded operations into Rhode Island in 2023 and Connecticut this past winter.
COAST prides itself on “creating wholesome products free of gluten and artificial additives” that contain “no unnecessary sugar coatings.”
“We try to be as authentic a brand as possible,” said 38-year-old Brian Cusick. “Angela and I started out as two medical patients who felt under-serviced, and so we began making these products in our home kitchen. Nearly a decade later, we’re still consuming our products regularly and always trying to improve the quality to ensure our constituents get the best products possible.”
The couple met while attending Fitchburg State University in Central Massachusetts. While Brian was an avid user of cannabis, Angela was initially against it.
“I grew up with the D.A.R.E. program at school telling us not to do drugs,” said Angela, a 39-year-old from the North Shore of Massachusetts. “If and when I used it in college, it would be at a frat party after a dozen Bud Lights. And abusing it like that, I didn’t see it as medicine. I saw it as a quick way to get dizzy and ruin the night.”
However, after graduation, Angela began to suffer bouts of insomnia and an array of digestive issues. Pharmaceuticals brought some relief, albeit with side effects. In time, Brian’s advocacy of Cannabis began to sway her toward creating a relationship with the plant. Angela began a steady dose of edibles and soon after stopped using the prescriptions.

“As his wife, I don’t always go out of my way to tell him he’s right,” Angela said, laughing. “But I ate my words. The transformation was magical, and almost overnight, I got rid of my prescriptions. Having gone through those mistakes like that, I think it helped me grow and understand this industry better.”
The couple hopes to transfer that wisdom into delicacies expected to hit shelves in Maryland this June. COAST will partner with The Cannabist Company to feature an array of gLeaf edibles ranging in flavor, potency and effect. The Cannabist Company is one of the largest Cannabis operators in the U.S., with 89 facilities nationwide — including 70 dispensaries and 19 cultivation and manufacturing sites. The outstanding reputation of COAST in competing markets drew the interest of The Cannabist Company, which promptly pursued a partnership.
“[Their] emphasis on flavor and function makes them a perfect addition to our product lineup, and we’re excited to share these clean, flavor-forward edibles with our Maryland consumers,” said Catie Dunn, director of commercial partnerships for The Cannabist Company.
The Cannabist Company operates three dispensaries in Maryland, including Columbia Care Chevy Chase, gLeaf Frederick and gLeaf Rockville, while its gLeaf product brand can be found on shelves throughout the state.
“We’re thrilled to bring COAST’s award-winning gummies to Maryland,” Dunn added. “The COAST team has been incredibly collaborative and engaged throughout the partnership, making the launch process in Maryland a truly positive experience for our team.”
COAST has also made a habit of creating large-scale community events geared toward cleaning local beaches, national parks and waterways. Last summer, in partnership with Save the Harbor/Save the Bay, the company spearheaded a three-city volunteer cleanup, restoring beaches in Lynn, Dorchester, and Marshfield, Mass..
“I think the beach has a lot of parallels to using Cannabis,” said Brian, a native of Cape Cod. “Just the experience — it provides a euphoric feeling, and there’s a social aspect that can be shared amongst friends and family that Cannabis also provides. We’ve tried to convey those feelings with the COAST brand.”


Their sustainability efforts have surpassed most on the market, earning a Certified Plastic Negative rating, which means that for every package produced, more plastic is removed from the environment than is used. The company has effectively collected 20,909 pounds of plastic through this initiative in just the past year.
“We grew up at the beach,” Brian said. “It’s a way of life for us.”
Additionally, COAST has redesigned their chocolate bar packaging to incorporate recycled ocean plastics. Those chocolates are slated to reach Maryland in the fall.
“We want to be the most trusted Cannabis edible brand,” Angela said. “We want customers to know they can trust COAST products, and we will never mislead them, as so many Cannabis companies do.”
The couple hopes to launch a Maryland-based environmental cleanup and is actively seeking partnerships with dispensaries and local conservation groups alike. Any and all inquiries are encouraged to be sent through email at info@coastcannabisco.com.