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(The Guardian) Maryland votes to legalize recreational marijuana
Maryland voters green-lighted a constitutional amendment to legalize recreational marijuana for adults over 21.
The vote puts Maryland among the 19 states, and District of Columbia, that have legalized adult-use cannabis, according to The Baltimore Sun.
Voters in four other states – including conservative strongholds such as Arkansas, Missouri, North Dakota and South Dakota – are considering ballot measures that would legalize adult-use marijuana during Tuesday’s midterm election.
The constitutional amendment in Maryland does not mean that adults can simply go into a shop and lawfully buy marijuana. This measure effectively means that Maryland’s state legislators can now establish the legal marijuana industry in this state. The industry could start “as soon as” 1 July, according to the newspaper. The vote favoring adult-use cannabis will also put into effect some legislation that was approved during the 2022 state legislative session.
Under this legislation, penalties for cannabis possession will be lowered; for possession of up to 2.5oz of marijuana, the penalty is now a civil citation rather than a criminal charge. And, the legislative change sets up a process through which people can expunge prior marijuana possession convictions.
The vote also means that adults 21 and over can legally raise up to two marijuana plants at their homes starting 1 July. Each household can have a maximum of four plants, “which must be grown securely and out of public view,” the Sun reported.
Maryland voters green-lighted a constitutional amendment to legalize recreational marijuana for adults over 21.
The vote puts Maryland among the 19 states, and District of Columbia, that have legalized adult-use cannabis, according to The Baltimore Sun.
Voters in four other states – including conservative strongholds such as Arkansas, Missouri, North Dakota and South Dakota – are considering ballot measures that would legalize adult-use marijuana during Tuesday’s midterm election.
The constitutional amendment in Maryland does not mean that adults can simply go into a shop and lawfully buy marijuana. This measure effectively means that Maryland’s state legislators can now establish the legal marijuana industry in this state. The industry could start “as soon as” 1 July, according to the newspaper. The vote favoring adult-use cannabis will also put into effect some legislation that was approved during the 2022 state legislative session.
Under this legislation, penalties for cannabis possession will be lowered; for possession of up to 2.5oz of marijuana, the penalty is now a civil citation rather than a criminal charge. And, the legislative change sets up a process through which people can expunge prior marijuana possession convictions.
The vote also means that adults 21 and over can legally raise up to two marijuana plants at their homes starting 1 July. Each household can have a maximum of four plants, “which must be grown securely and out of public view,” the Sun reported.