Maryland Considering Medical Cannabis Legislation
“People are suffering every day in the state of Maryland, and they are being subjected to going out on the streets to get the relief we should be providing,” Said Maryland State Delegate Cheryl Glenn.
Maryland’s Cheryl Glenn.
Continuing her efforts from past years, Cheryl has introduced a bill – which gets a hearing Tuesday – to add an affirmative defense for medical cannabis caregivers, and will be filing another bill soon.
The affirmative defense bill is similar to legislation Cherly filed in 2012, and which passed the senate in 2011. However, additional sponsors have been gathered, and despite just a year’s time, the conversation has changed tremendously. The governor has also been mum on what he’ll do if medical cannabis legislation is passed this session, when in past years he’s threatened a veto.
Maryland is also a state that has tremendous support from residents for medical cannabis; polls have shown that 72% support doctor-authorized use, with only 21% in opposition.
Playing on this supp
ort, Delegate Glenn will also be filing the more progressive Maryland Medical Marijuana Act. The bill would allow the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to regulate the distribution of medical cannabis through “compassion centers”.
Either legislation would be a major step forward for the citizens of Maryland, and would make the state the 19th (plus the District of Columbia) to allow some form of medical cannabis.
For constituents in Maryland, now is a vital time to contact your legislators and governor, to ask them to support this bill.
– TheJointBlog