On Thursday, the Maryland State Senate passed Senate Bill 833 on a voice vote, with final consideration expected on the bill expected today. Per Maryland Matters, “Lawmakers gave approval to two bills that would allow residents 21 and older to possess small amounts of marijuana — up to 1.5 ounces — beginning next year. Possession of between 1.5 and 2.5 ounces would be subject to a civil citation.”
Individuals caught with more than the legal amount would be subject to the Maryland’s existing laws on possession with intent distribute. The bills would also allow households to grow two marijuana plants, as long as they are out of view and inaccessible to the public.
According to the report, “the measures would also permit some inmates who have been convicted of possessing small amounts of marijuana to petition for their immediate release, and some people who have been convicted of possession could seek expungement of their records.”
In February, the Maryland House of Representatives passed House Bill 1, which states that, “on or after July 1, 2023, an individual in the State who is at least 21 years old may use and possess cannabis.” If House Bill 1 passes through the Maryland State Senate, voters will see the question on the ballot this November.
The house also passed House Bill 837 in February, which will require a “baseline study of cannabis use in the State by March 1, 2023; altering certain provisions relating to penalties, charging procedures, expungement, shielding, and sentencing for certain offenses involving cannabis; legalizing the use and possession of a certain quantity of cannabis by an individual who is at least 21 years old; establishing the Cannabis Public Health Advisory Council and a Cannabis Public Health Fund; etc.”