Category: Maryland
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In Baltimore, an Unconstitutional Stop, a Blunt, Planted Cocaine, and an Unsolved Murder
A complaint filed against two Baltimore Police officers on behalf of the family of a Baltimore man describes an unconstitutional police stop that resulted in the discovery of a decriminalized amount of cannabis which quickly escalated into, lawyers allege, cops deleting evidence and planting drugs. The complaint goes on to detail how the man, Sherman…
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The Outlaw Report Podcast Episode 05: Talking the MORE Act with NORML’s Justin Strekal
In the latest episode of The Outlaw Report podcast, Scott Cecil talks to NORML Political Director Justin Strekal about the MORE Act, sponsored by Joe Biden’s vice presidential pick Kamala Harris. And The Outlaw Report’s Brandon Soderberg discusses Virginia’s ongoing reforms and the special legislative session and Maryland’s woeful progress when it comes to cannabis…
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Maryland Could Have Increased Its Decriminalization Threshold—And Didn’t
At the beginning of the 2020 legislative session, Luke Jones of The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws Maryland (NORML) told The Outlaw Report that the “number one policy goal” for those pushing for cannabis reform in Maryland was House Bill 550, which would increase the decriminalization threshold in the state from 10…
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Quick Hit: MDMA Made From Crude Oil A Harbinger of How Big Cannabis Will Become Big Psychedelics
Earlier this month, the website Psymposia published a fascinating—and mildly terrifying—article titled, “Forget Plant-Based Medicine, MDMA is Now Made From Crude Oil.” Citing an article from the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies’ (MAPS) Spring 2020 bulletin titled “The Commercial Chemistry of MDMA: From Research to Patient Access,” writer Russell Hausfeld (with David Nickels) quote from…
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Maryland Hemp Plan Approved by USDA
As first reported by Marijuana Moment, the United States Department Of Agriculture (USDA) announced last week that it had approved Maryland’s hemp regulatory plan. As The Outlaw Report first reported last month, the July 6 edition of the Maryland Register included the proposal for the farming program by the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) which…
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The Outlaw Report Podcast Episode 04: Weed Smell in Maryland and the Limits of the DNC Cannabis Reform
In the latest episode of The Outlaw Report podcast, Scott Cecil and Brandon Soderberg discuss the new cannabis ruling in Maryland’s Court of Appeals related to smell and searching people, the politics of cannabis at the federal level and the Democratic National Committee’s decision to leave weed legalization off its 2020 platform. You can listen…
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Maryland’s Highest Court Rules Cops Can’t Search You Based On Cannabis Smell
Last week, Maryland’s Court of Appeals issued an important ruling for cannabis advocates and fourth amendment warriors: A police officer in Maryland can no longer use the smell of cannabis as a reason to search and arrest someone. “The mere odor of marijuana emanating from a person, without more, does not provide the police with…
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Racial Equity in Maryland’s Cannabis Industry Get More Complicated: Glenn Sentenced, MMCC Ponders Diversity
Last week’s sentencing of former delegate Cheryl Glenn—indicted at the end of 2019 for taking bribes tied to the medicinal cannabis industry—and the Maryland Medicinal Cannabis Commission committee meeting, which took public comment on increasing diversity within the industry, illustrate just how much more work is to be done for there to be a racially…
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Quick Hit: Weed Smell Not Enough For Cops To Search You, Says Maryland Court Of Appeals
Big cannabis news coming in on a Monday right as The Outlaw Report newsletter is wrapping up means we’ll have to unpack this more next week but we’d be remiss if we didn’t briefly mention that the smell of cannabis is no longer probable cause for police to search someone. The case, Rasherd Lewis v.…
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Prosecutors Call Delegate Cheryl Glenn “Arrogant,” Request Three Years in Jail
A sentencing memorandum was filed last week for former delegate Cheryl Glenn, who was charged and pleaded guilty to accepting over $30,000 in bribes related in part, to medicinal cannabis companies, shows that prosecutors are asking for three years in federal prison. Glenn, who is 69 years old, is asking for home detention instead, with…
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Virginia Medicinal Cannabis On Its Way, Maryland Medicinal Continues To Deal With Racial Equity
The Outlaw Report has been paying close attention to the cannabis reforms happening in Virginia this past legislative session including decriminalization of possession of up to an ounce of cannabis, a serious look at implementing legalization, and the establishment of a medicinal cannabis program. The speed at which Virginia has navigated these reforms has illustrated…
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Maryland Hemp Farming Program Proposal Released
The July 6 edition of the Maryland Register includes the proposal for the long-awaited hemp farming program by the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA). While there has been plenty of discussion about Maryland responding to the 2018 Farm Bill and the pending deadline for Maryland to get in compliance with the interim final rules from…