Maryland House advances legislation to legalize cannabis

The legalization of adult-use cannabis in Maryland took another step forward Wednesday with the introduction of two bills in the state House of Representatives.

The first measure, House Bill 837, would legalize adult possession of up to 1.5 ounces of cannabis and provide a just path to legalizing cannabis, the legislation’s sponsor said. The bill would also allow adults to grow up to two cannabis plants at home.

House Bill 837 was created to accompany House Bill 1, a cannabis legalization vote scheduled for the November general election. Both bills were passed by the House of Representatives on Wednesday after a second reading and a 90-minute debate.

The legislation is based on the findings of the House Cannabis Referendum and Legalization Workgroup, which began work on a legalization plan in September. The passage of House Bill 837 is conditional on the passage of a cannabis legalization referendum scheduled for this year’s House Bill 1 general election.

The bills were introduced earlier this month by Democratic Delegate Luke Clippinger, a Baltimore Democrat and chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. He also led the House Cannabis Referendum and Legalization Workgroup, which focused on the public health, criminal justice, regulatory and business implementation aspects of cannabis legalization.

Several amendments rejected

Wednesday’s approval of the bills came after the rejection of several amendments proposed by Republican delegates. House Minority Leader Jason C. Buckel backed a proposal that would increase the proposed $50 fine for smoking cannabis in public.

“It’s not a slap on the wrist, it’s a tickle on the wrist,” Buckel said of the $50 fine. “I don’t know how many of you have gotten a speeding ticket that has a lower penalty. If you do 70 out of 55, you pay more than $50.”

Democratic delegate David Moon opposed a harsher punishment than a fine, saying the goal of legalizing cannabis for many Democrats is to end incarceration for nonviolent crimes and reduce racial disparities in cannabis prohibition enforcement. He also noted that a poll of adults in Maryland found that half of those surveyed had smoked cannabis.

“Half the Maryland residents probably got away with a crime when they did this,” he said. “The more disturbing part of this is that white Marylanders have gotten away with this prison-prone offense at much higher rates than any of the rest of us.”

Another proposed change would have allowed local communities where a majority of voters opposed the referendum to vote against legalizing cannabis, a policy that has left areas without access to regulated cannabis in other states, that have legalized cannabis are not available. Buckel said counties that don’t approve legalization “shouldn’t have this stuffed down their throats.”

“You cannot opt ​​out, even if it is based on the will of your constituents, the will of your constituents who have expressed in a democratic referendum that they do not want it,” he said. “We’re going to stuff it down your throat. That’s not fair.”

However, Moon argued that Buckel’s efforts would only serve to uphold the ban.

“What the minority leader is proposing, both in his attempt to make this a local decision where people could perpetuate these injustices and now in this attempt to re-criminalize them, is the opposite of what we are trying to do do,” Moon said.

If the bills get final approval in the House of Representatives, the legislation will move on to the Maryland Senate, where lawmakers are also working on a broader proposed amendment to legalize cannabis.