Last week, The Baltimore Brew revealed that Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby, who has been known as being particularly progressive when it comes to cannabis reform, received a number of gifts over the past few years including some cannabis-related products from Select Brands.
“The Peripatetic Prosecutor: Marilyn Mosby took 23 trips in 2018 and 2019, accepting $30,000 in reimbursements” by Mark Reuter and Ian Round reported that “Cura Cannabis Solutions, the Portland marijuana company, gifted her with $188 worth of ‘select CBD Drops (2), disposable Pen, Patch, Capsules (2)’.” That Baltimore’s top prosecutor received cannabis gifts was interpreted as being kind of a big deal.
Mosby likely received these gifts back in December of 2019 when Select Cannabis, a California-based company that is owned by Portland’s Cura Cannabis Solutions, held what a press release described as “a cocktail hour and dinner…to meet with local elected officials, industry advocates, grassroots organizations and thought leaders currently spearheading the efforts to legalize recreational cannabis in Maryland.” The press release listed Mosby, along with Maryland State Senator Jill P. Carter, organizers Adam Jackson and Dayvon Love of Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle, and former Baltimore Raven and cannabis advocate Eugene Monroe as “confirmed attendees.”
This reporter was also invited to this event—which focused on expungement clinics Select planned to do and criminal justice and cannabis—but I did not to attend. The Outlaw Report however, did cover an expungement clinic organized by Select.
Which brings us to what’s so weird about this: Elected officials frequently receive free stuff and that’s generally understood to be acceptable. Arguably, It really shouldn’t be acceptable but it is. So while there are bigger ethical issues about Mosby brought up in the Brew’s piece—and ones that people should take seriously such as a whole lot of trips around the world—it is important to realize that amid cannabis reform, there will be more examples of politicians getting weed or CBD schwag from cannabis companies. The focus should not be on what the gift is but rather, the fact that elected officials regularly receive gifts in the first place.
Image via Baltimore Brew
