A key Maryland House committee advanced a Senate-approved budget bill last week, adding new amendments that would allocate tens of millions of dollars in funding to implement marijuana legalization with the expectation that the reform will ultimately be enacted this year. The House Appropriations Committee cleared the amended legislation on Friday. It would provide about $52 million to support the implementation of cannabis legalization, facilitate expungements for prior cannabis convictions and fund a “disparity study” to “better understand the barriers to entering the cannabis market.” This comes one month after the full House of Delegates separately passed bills to put marijuana legalization on the state’s 2022 ballot and set initial rules if voters approve the reform in November. All of the funding that the Appropriations Committee proposed setting aside for cannabis reform implementation is contingent on the enactment of the latter bill, HB 837. Del. Luke Clippinger (D) is sponsoring both measures and said last month that lawmakers are “at the beginning of an important process.” His bills are scheduled for a Senate Finance Committee hearing on Wednesday.
Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 03/21/2022 15:59:00