This is not going to be a case of ‘We fixed it and we’ve solved all the issues,’ or ‘We’ll never have a bill on this subject again’. It’s not going to say, “We’ve fixed it and solved all issues. We’ll never see a bill again on this topic .'”
By Bryan P. Sears of Maryland Matters
Maryland’s cannabis market is only a few months old, but lawmakers and regulators have already begun to consider changes for the next General Assembly session.
Since July, sales in the new adult recreational industry have reached almost $90,000,000. Sales are expected to surpass $1 billion.
Will Tilburg said that the new legislation, which runs about 100 pages, was an attempt to Learn from the mistakes made by other states who legalized recreational cannabis use prior to Maryland.
Tilburg said that there was nothing that he had seen that would cause alarm. “I believe that everyone, including the Governor’s Office, Cannabis Administration, ATCC (Alcohol, Tobacco and Cannabis Commission), and the legislators, are evaluating all the information to determine if anything is wrong. ”
Tilburg, along with Melony G. Griffith, the chair of the Senate Finance Committee (D-Prince George’s), told local leaders attending the Maryland Association of Counties Summer Conference that the Maryland legislature will likely make some changes when it returns to Annapolis less than five months from now.
Tilburg said that the new law was “comprehensive”, but also added, “it is not perfect.”
Tilburg said, “I mean alcohol was legalized ninety years ago when the prohibition ended.” Every year, there are a few hundred alcohol-related bills. We do expect to see more legislation in 2024 and going forward.
Griffiths agreed.
Griffith stated that he did not believe it was possible to get through the 24th session of Congress without making some changes in the cannabis laws. Griffith said that the bill would not be “We fixed it, we solved all issues and we won’t have another bill on this topic again.”
Tilburg and Griffith were unable to provide specifics when speaking with Maryland Matters.
The state will likely issue its first batch of licenses this fall to attract a diverse group of licensees in the growing industry.
In the past, it has been difficult for the state to find ways to ensure diversity in participation. After a first round of licensing in the medical marijuana industry, no licenses were granted to minority owners.
In addition, the law enforcement community continues to search for new ways to enforce the driving under the influence laws without a roadside breath test that could determine intoxication the same way standard alcohol breath tests can be used.
According to Maj. Zachary O’Lare of the Prince George’s County Police Department, new restrictions that bar searches based on the scent of cannabis hamper the interdiction and confiscation of illegal firearms.
Prince George’s County Police Department recorded 1,237 arrests for handgun violations in 2022. O’Lare stated that approximately 40 percent of these arrests were related to searches where the smell of cannabis was the probable reason for the search.
O’Lare stated that in the six-week period since cannabis legalization, illegal gun seizures have decreased by 49 percent.
Baltimore County Police chief Robert McCullough says his department has seen similar declines.
O’Lare, of Prince George’s County said that he hopes that a greater focus on identifying impaired motorists will lead to an increase in gun seizures.
It remains to be determined whether or not the legislative body will take up the controversial topic of cannabis-related searches.
House Economic Matters Chairman Del. C.T. Wilson (D, Charles) told the Maryland Municipal League members that he does not expect to see many cannabis bills during the next session.
He said, “I’ll be doing one cannabis bill.” Please don’t bring all your amazing ideas, because they haven’t gelled. We don’t even know what is wrong. “We won’t know what’s broken by January.”
Wilson left the door open for “an Omnibus Bill.”
Griffith did acknowledge that other issues, such as enforcement and nuanced questions, could be discussed.
Griffith said, “I think that if he and I [Wilson] can come together with our committees and reach consensus and if we could get one bill which takes into account all of that that would be ideal.”
She noted that there could be other issues which require the attention of both the tax and judiciary committees of General Assembly, complicating an omnibus legislation. She said, “I’ve never seen any bill that was assigned to three different committees.”
The original publication of this story was by Maryland Matters.
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