Category: Maryland
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Legalization Framework Bills Formally Introduced in Maryland House, Senate
Several weeks after Maryland’s legislative session began, three state lawmakers have introduced separate bills that would create a framework for adult-use legalization in the state. Del. Luke Clippinger (D-Baltimore) and Sen. Jill Carter (D-Baltimore) formally introduced their respective proposals late last week, and Sen. Brian Feldman (D-Montgomery County) introduced another measure on Monday, setting the…
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Maryland Lawmakers Again Attempt to Protect Gun Ownership Rights for Medical Cannabis Patients
For the fifth year in a row, Maryland lawmakers are working to pass legislation to protect medical weed patients’ gun freedoms. Sen. Michael Hough (R-Frederick and Carroll counties) is sponsoring SB 286, which would prohibit authorities from enforcing federal law against Maryland medical cannabis patients who purchase, own, possess and carry firearms. Federal law currently…
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Culta Joins Sustainable Cannabis Coalition With Goal To Eliminate Carbon Emissions
Culta, one of Maryland’s largest medical cannabis businesses, is getting on board with an emerging green movement in the weed industry. The company announced on Monday it has joined the Sustainable Cannabis Coalition, a group of weed firms that promotes more environmentally friendly practices in the industry – from the way pot is cultivated to…
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Maryland Legislature: Another Weed Legalization Bill In The Works For 2022 Session
Maryland lawmakers will have the burden of choice when it comes to legalizing recreational cannabis this year, with multiple proposals in the works that go beyond a simple referendum. Sen. Brian Feldman (D-Montgomery County), vice chair of the state Senate’s powerful Finance Committee, told The Outlaw Report an “informal workgroup” of senators plans to draft…
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Maryland Lawmaker Pre-files Bill To Put Weed Legalization On 2022 Ballot
Maryland’s legislature is starting to lay the groundwork to put the question of cannabis legalization before voters in 2022. Del. Luke Clippinger (D-Baltimore City) pre-filed a bill on Wednesday that would place legalization on the ballot for a referendum in November. The legislation – dubbed HB 1 – has been assigned to the House’s Judiciary…
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How To Read Labels To Find The Best Weed In Maryland, According To A Budtender
Picking weed from a dispensary menu in Maryland’s medical cannabis market can feel like a shot in the dark – even for the most experienced users. Before there were medical dispensaries, people relied on their senses to assess weed’s quality by checking its appearance, scent and texture. Strain names, THC content or descriptors like “sativa”…
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Maryland Cannabis Commission Chair To Step Down As Dispensary Sales Poised To Surpass $600M
The chair of Maryland’s medical cannabis agency is resigning after more than four years helping to steer the direction of the state’s fast-growing industry. “I’ve decided it’s time to pass the torch,” said Brian Lopez, a real estate developer who was appointed to his chairman post by Republican Gov. Larry Hogan in 2017. “It’s hard…
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Paraphernalia Decriminalization Bill Falls Short in Maryland After Hopes of Veto Override
A bill to lower criminal penalties for the possession of drug paraphernalia fell short in Maryland this week after the General Assembly opted to skip a vote to override a veto of the legislation. On Monday morning, lawmakers convened for a special legislative session in Annapolis to approve new Congressional district boundaries and consider overrides…
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Lawmakers Mull How Maryland Should Go About Taxing Recreational Cannabis
Taxing purchases of cannabis for adult use in Maryland could bring hundreds of millions of dollars into the state’s coffers in the coming years, though just how much will vary depending on whether lawmakers decide to tax purchases based on price, potency or quantity. That was one of the major questions considered by members of…
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Maryland Lawmakers Discuss MSOs, Minority Ownership Challenges At House Legalization Hearing
As Maryland looks to at last join its neighbors in legalizing recreational cannabis and supercharge a medical industry that has generated more than half-a-billion dollars this year, concerns loom about how Black entrepreneurs can get in on the green rush before it’s too late. At the fourth meeting of the Maryland House Cannabis Legalization Workgroup…
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Can Maryland Expunge All Possession Charges After Legalizing Cannabis? It’s Complicated, Officials Say.
As advocates and legislators gear up for Maryland’s most serious legalization push yet, officials are giving some overdue focus to the other side of the coin: what to do about decades’ worth of prior cannabis possession charges and convictions? “It is an incredibly large number of cases that have been identified that go all the…