Maryland on Frontlines of Global Fight for Marijuana Legalization
As the Maryland Senate voted Tuesday to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana, advocates for legalizing the drug saw an opening move in a multi-year effort to make it completely legal.
“I think the taboo has been lifted on talking about marijuana in Maryland,” said Del. Curt Anderson, a Baltimore Democrat who introduced a separate bill that would legalize marijuana, regulate it, and tax it like alcohol. He said he doesn’t expect it to pass this year.
“All we want to do is start the conversation,” Anderson said. “It’s not as dangerous a drug as cigarettes, which can kill you. It’s not as dangerous as a drunk driver.”
While their end goal likely is long off, advocates for legalizing marijuana said the political climate is tilting in their favor — both in Maryland and across the country.
This year Gov. Martin O’Malley reversed his stance on medical marijuana and, through his health secretary, endorsed a limited plan for academic centers to make it available. Under the bill the Senate passed 30-16 Tuesday, possessing a few marijuana joints would still break the law, but it wouldn’t carry a jail term.
Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, who voted for the bill, has said he personally favors legalization.
The decriminalization measure now moves to the House of Delegates, where proponents said it will be a tougher sell.
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(Maryland on Frontlines of Global Fight for Marijuana Legalization)