The Cannabis Workgroup, established by Maryland House Speaker Adrienne Jones, D, met for the first time on September 8. There, they discussed how the group had been working diligently over the past summer to come up with viable options for Maryland’s legal cannabis.
The group also discussed their next steps, which include preparing a legalization ballot measure for the 2022 ballot as well as having rules and regulations in place for a legal market to begin in 2023. Furthermore, voters are expected to legalize recreational cannabis should it be on the ballot. Around ⅔ of voters approve of recreational cannabis. If a legal market is established, this would put Maryland in the middle of other nearby states offering recreational cannabis.
In addition to legalization, the state also wants to focus on social equity. According to Representative Luke Clippinger, D, cannabis laws have “had a disparate impact on people of color for far too long with no real impact on public safety.” Additionally, Cannabis Workgroup members “will establish the legal framework that’s necessary to fully implement the legalization of marijuana and learn from the mistakes that other states have made before us.”
Clippinger says the Cannabis Workgroup will tackle several issues, including:
- Business licensing and implications
- Expungement of prior convictions
- Traffic laws
- Criminal justice impacts
- Social equity
- Cannabis tax
- Public health
Activist Response
Given these points, a few groups are applauding the advancement of a ballot measure from the House Speaker.
“We applaud Speaker Jones’ commitment to referring legalization to voters in 2022. It is also encouraging that the House workgroup will begin meeting well ahead of the 2022 legislative session,” said Olivia Naugle. At the present time, she is the legislative analyst with the Marijuana Policy Project. “We look forward to seeing what the group comes up with, and will continue to advocate that the legislature replace cannabis prohibition with a just and equitable system of regulation for Marylanders in 2022.”
With Maryland moving towards legalization, more than a third of the U.S. will soon offer recreational cannabis along with medical. It now rests with the Cannabis Workgroup to get the ballot measure up and running and voters to approve it. As more information becomes available, we will update you with the latest.
Make sure to check back for more cannabis and hemp related news.