Maryland legislature is planning a cannabis legalization move in the 2022 election

Maryland state lawmakers announced last week that lawmakers will reach out to voters on cannabis policy reform by putting a marijuana legalization measure on the statewide ballot next year. Maryland House of Representatives spokeswoman Adrienne A. Jones said in a statement Friday that she would set up a legislative working group this fall to begin investigating issues related to cannabis legalization.

“While I have personal concerns about encouraging marijuana use, particularly among children and young adults, the different effects on the criminal justice system make me believe that voters should have a say in the future of legalization,” Jones said in a statement . “The House of Representatives will pass a law early next year to put this question to the electorate, but we must start now to look into the necessary changes to the state law.”

Maryland Working Group to Study Cannabis Legalization

The working group will examine aspects of marijuana legalization, including the rules for owning and buying legal cannabis, licensing and oversight of cannabis companies, taxes levied on the industry, and the number of cannabis business licenses issued by the state. Legislators appointed to the group will also consider proposals for social justice, including overturning or sealing previous convictions for marijuana offenses and dismissing charges on pending cases.

“Cannabis use has had mixed effects on people of color for too long with no real public safety impact,” said Del. Luke Clippinger, who will lead the working group, in a statement. “This working group will create the legal framework” [necessary] fully implement marijuana legalization and learn from the mistakes other states have made before us. The speaker has made it clear that we will do this with a view to equity and consideration for black and brown neighborhoods and businesses that have historically been affected by cannabis use. “

House Majority Leader Eric Luedtke, who will lead the group’s efforts related to the taxation of commercially produced cannabis, said marijuana prohibition laws are not equally enforced and expressed support for laws that encourage restorative justice include.

“The most important thing from my point of view – and I think many parliamentary groups share this opinion – is racial justice,” said Lüdtke. “The persecution of the drug war has disproportionately affected low-income and minority communities. So if we legalize recreational cannabis, we have to make sure we go back and repair some of the damage that has been done to these communities. “

Maryland Medical marijuana already legal

Maryland legalized cannabis for medicinal uses in 2013, but despite strong support for further reforms, recreational marijuana is still illegal. In March, a survey by Goucher College found that two-thirds of Maryland residents supported legalizing cannabis for adult use. However, state lawmakers failed to pass a legalization bill proposed earlier this year.

Maryland’s neighbors in the capital region have already made further strides on cannabis reform, with Washington, DC legalizing the possession and cultivation of recreational cannabis in 2014 and Virginia passing broader laws on adult cannabis use earlier this year. Adult possession of small amounts of cannabis became legal in Virginia on July 1, while licensed retail sales in the state are expected to begin in 2024.

Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson, who led a 2019 working group to look into cannabis legalization, said in a statement that the Senate “remains ready to advance a fair, just and just program, and we intend to this during the session in 2022. “

“Eighteen states and the District of Columbia have already legalized recreational cannabis,” Ferguson said Friday. “Maryland must do the same, and a large majority of Marylanders in both political parties support a just framework that addresses the injustices in our current criminal justice system immediately.”