Maryland Proposal to Decriminalize Cannabis Takes Effect Wednesday
A proposal to decriminalize small amounts of cannabis will officially take effect on Wednesday, October 1st in Maryland.
Senate Bill 364, which was signed into law by Governor Martin O’Malley in April, decriminalizes the possession of up to 10 grams of cannabis, making it a simple $100 ticket for someone’s first offense. A second offense will be a ticket of $250, and all subsequent tickets will carry a maximum fine of $500. Under no circumstance will the personal possession of up to 10 grams of cannabis result in a criminal charge under the new law.
Under current Maryland law, the possession of up to 10 grams of cannabis is a misdemeanor which carries with it a potential 90 day jail sentence.
According to polling released earlier this year, 72% of Maryland voters support decriminalizing cannabis.
[Correction: Originally this article stated that October 1st is on a Thursday, when in fact it is on a Wednesday. We apologize for the mistake.]
– TheJointBlog
RMForbes
The 1st of October is on Wednesday this year…not Thursday but otherwise great news.
TheJointBlog
Hi RMForbes,
Thank you for pointing this out – we’ve corrected the mistake.
– TheJointBlog