Maryland is set to be the 19th state to approve of a state medical marijuana program after Gov. Martin O’Malley announced earlier today that he would be signing the bill at a ceremony tomorrow.
While it sounds great – and no doubt will provide medical benefit to some patients – the program is arguably the strictest in the country and probably won’t start serving patients until at least 2016 according to the Marijuana Policy Project.
The Maryland legislature has approved a bill creating a state-regulated medical marijuana program, pushing on to the governor’s office for final approval. Earlier today the state Senate passed a third and final reading of the bill 42-4, marking the end of its legislative journey over the last few months.
Maryland caregivers may soon have the same protections as medical marijuana patients in that state after the general assembly yesterday passed laws allowing them to possess up to an ounce at a time.
Laws passed in 2003 and 2011 allow patients to use medical necessity as a defense in court if they are busted with pot and paraphernalia. Caregivers would now have the same protections, which won’t necessarily keep them from being arrested but will allow them a valid argument in court. Charges could either be dismissed or dropped to a $100 civil fine.
The Maryland House approved and denied medical marijuana bills today, sending one on to the Senate for approval and shooting another down in committee.
A bill that would have allowed medical marijuana in the state, House Bill 302, was given an unfavorable report and was withdrawn by it’s sponsor, Del. Cheryl Glenn earlier today according to the Maryland legislative site.
Update – Wednesday, March 20, 2013: The Maryland Senate voted to decriminalize marijuana possession of up to ten grams of marijuana yesterday. The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Robert Zirkin, a democrat from Baltimore, told the Washington Post that he was pleased with his colleagues and says the House would be smart to pass the legislation.
“Incarceration does not make sense [for small amounts],” he told the PostWashington Post newsroom.)
| Cannabis Fantastic |
Two bills were introduced Friday in the Maryland House and Senate that would allow patients with certain qualifying conditions to use medical marijuana with doctors’ recommendations.
| Casey Prather/The Towerlight |
Medical marijuana advocates continue to push for the legalization of cannabis for licensed patients in Maryland through a proposed bill, The Medical Marijuana Act, HB 15.
| Medical Marijuana Blog |
A medical marijuana bill, House Bill 15, has been filed in the Maryland General Assembly, and would establish cannabis dispensaries for the seriously ill. But a state panel charged with making recommendations on medical marijuana last month failed to find consensus, instead presenting two divergent plans.
| Graphic: Medical Marijuana Blog |
Maryland on Tuesday removed criminal penalties for the medical use of marijuana when Gov. Martin O’Malley signed SB 308 as promised. The bill allows seriously ill patients to avoid prosecution when charged with marijuana possession, and also creates a commission to study medical marijuana laws and make recommendations on how Maryland can institute such a program.