“With Governor Hogan’s expected signature of the Adult-Use legislation in the next few days, I expect that today’s public meeting will be the final meeting of the Maryland Medical Cannabis commission.”
By Bryan P. Sears of Maryland Matters
The commission that guided the state’s first wobbly moves towards legalizing marijuana access held what was likely its last meeting.
The Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission members said goodbye on Wednesday. The panel has been reorganized over the past five years and is now no longer in place as Maryland enters a new age of cannabis access for recreational use.
Dr. C. Obi Onyewu is the chair of the medical commission. “I think that the Maryland Medical Commission has done a great job in the past few years of bringing this information to the public, and to patients.”
“The priority…even moving forward, will always be safety first and access to products.” “We want to continue that in the new landscape we will be tackling this summer,” he added.
Maryland is the latest to legalize cannabis. The first recreational sales are expected in July.
Last year, voters approved an amendment to state constitution that legalized recreational cannabis for adults older than 21.
New law is awaiting signature by Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat, has ended the medical cannabis board. It will be replaced by an independent panel which will regulate the industry that provides the drug for both patients and recreational users. The new commission has regulatory and licensing powers and will ensure that products sold in the State are safe and tested.
Moore announced earlier this month that the emergency bill will be signed by him.
The new law will take effect immediately.
Onyewu said, “I expect today’s meeting to be the last meeting of the Maryland Medical Cannabis commission,” as the governor is expected to sign adult-use legislation within the next few days.
As the state worked through the early kinks, the commission had to deal with its own struggles. The state issued the first licenses for medical processing, growing and dispensing in the state’s history.
The initial licensing process resulted in a small number of minority-owned licensees.
As part of the reform package, the commission was restructured to include more minorities. The 2018 law replaced the original board with a 13-member panel.
Added new licenses for growing and processing. Although many of these licenses have been issued, they are yet to be operational.
The new positions in the commission were reserved for experts from specialized fields.
There was also room on the panel for patient advocates, such as Saundra Washington, who is a cancer survivor in stage 4 and was appointed by then Governor to the panel back in 2020. Larry Hogan (R).
Washington said that being appointed to the commission as a cancer patient “was a great privilege, because I could give the perspective of the patient and know what our needs and struggles were.” I know that I have been a pain to many people at many meetings, because the main reason I sat in this room was because I wanted represent those who needed it as a treatment option.
Washington’s voice cracked and she became emotional as she praised efforts made by the commission to get the drug to the more than 160,00 registered patients.
Washington, speaking to his fellow commissioners, said: “I don’t want you to go without thanking me.” “Thank you to the doctors. You made choices for children who were having seizures and had no other option. Thank you for your decisions. No matter what happens to this industry or what happens later, I want you never to forget the difference you made in the lives of so many children.”
The original publication of this story was by Maryland Matters.
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The article Maryland Cannabis Commission holds what is likely to be its last meeting ever first appeared on Marijuana Moment.
