Unfortunately, the two bills in the Maryland general assembly, SB 708 and HB 32, did not make it out of their respective committees. This means the bills are dead and are no longer being considered for discussion or legalization. But lawmakers are looking to the future. Next session, in 2022, a bill will be introduced and become law. 

Creating Bills Into Laws

There are deadlines bills must meet. Many dates are cross-reading dates. This means a bill needs to be sent to the opposite chamber for discussion. Once both full chambers have voted and approved measures, then it goes to the governor’s desk. There, it can be signed into law or vetoed. If its vetoed, then a full assembly, both full chambers together, can vote to overrule the veto and make the bill a law. 

There are a ton of steps between a bill’s introduction and it finally becoming law. With each step, it can also die along the way. And that’s what happened with Maryland’s two adult-use cannabis legalization bills, SB 708 and HB 32. 

Senate Bill 708

SB 708 received sponsorship from Senator Brian Feldman (D). The bill saw introduction late into the session, not allowing for an extended amount of time for debate. Take Virginia’s legalization efforts this year for example. With the push from Governor Northam in January, both committees introduced their separate bills. Both received discussion and approval. Then it became up to the chambers to come together to create a concise bill for Governor Northam to sign. That debate took the longest and almost didn’t make it out of the chambers to the governor. 

“I think that because of the unique nature of this session, where we couldn’t have meetings personally, I think it made it harder to negotiate some of the areas that in a normal session we would have been able to resolve much more easily,” Senator Feldman said in a recent interview with local news.

Activists were hoping that SB 708 in Maryland would follow the same steps as Virginia but at a quicker pace. Instead, lawmakers didn’t push the bill for discussion. They opted to simply introduce the bill to get it on everyone’s minds before waiting until next year. Then, it will be introduced sooner and will become law. Many lawmakers have expected as much.

Public Response

Currently, Maryland citizens support legalization efforts by a huge 72 percent. Around half of those supporters are Republicans, who are typically against legalization. With opinions changing, legalization may become easier. But that won’t stop lawmakers from asking questions. 

The biggest hurdles any legalization bill will come across in the future are:

• What is the sales tax on recreational cannabis and/or medical cannabis?
• Are there going to be caps on production licenses so the market doesn’t become oversaturated?
• How will social equity applicants be included in the industry? 
• Will the full legalization of recreational cannabis put the existing medical cannabis program in jeopardy?

“With the legislature unwilling to take up legalization this year, the focus now shifts to laying the groundwork to pass legalization in 2022,” said Olivia Naugle, a Marijuana Policy Project legislative analyst. “We’re definitely disappointed in the inaction. That means another year of thousands of life-altering stops, searches and arrests for cannabis.”

Future

Even though legalization won’t happen this year, it will happen soon. SB 708’s introduction brought adult-use cannabis legalization to the forefront of lawmaker’s minds. And with neighboring states New York, New Jersey, and Virginia all legalizing cannabis, there will be pressure for Maryland to follow along.

Make sure to check back for more cannabis and hemp related news.