Many states are working on cannabis reform bills, whether it be for medical cannabis, adult-use cannabis, or both. Unfortunately, proposed bills must meet certain deadlines or they are considered ‘dead.’ Three states saw crucial cannabis reform bills die in their chambers the past couple of weeks as deadlines passed.

Maryland

Back in 2012, Maryland approved a medical cannabis program for qualifying patients in the state. Now they are looking to legalize adult-use cannabis since two-thirds of Marylanders support legalization efforts. The beginning of this year saw two bills introduced in the Maryland state congress. 

SB 708, the leading bill in the Senate, failed to be heard in its committee before the cross reading deadline. The other measure, introduced in the House called HB 32, also failed to make it out of it’s House committee hearing. Both bills received discussion, but no final vote came about. Unfortunately, this bills must wait another year before being reintroduced. 

However, Governor Larry Hogan (R) has not been very receptive of the introduced measures. He previously vetoed a bill to shield people with low-level cannabis convictions from having their record publicized. If either SB 708 or HB 32 made it to his desk, there is a high probability they would have been vetoed. 

There are still positives coming from Maryland. HB 324 plans to decriminalized the possession of cannabis from its current 10 grams now up to one ounce. This bill passed the House and now the Senate is taking a thorough look. 

Hawaii

Two measures, SB 767 and SB 758 passed the Senate early in March and made their way to the House for further debate. Unfortunately, neither bill was heard in the Hawaii House Committee on Health, Human Services, and Homelessness. In that committee, Chair Representative Ryan Yamane (D) used his pocket veto right to ignore the bills until the deadline had passed. Representative Yamane has previously not been in favor of cannabis reform.

This pocket veto also goes along with what Governor David Ige (D) has been saying for the past couple of years. He still “has concerns” about the legalization of cannabis in Hawaii and believes that this is not the right time for the state. Governor Ige has previously let a bill become a law without his signature on decriminalization of cannabis possession. There is concern that he would veto a legalization measure if it had made it to his desk.

Wyoming

Wyoming is one of the few mountain states that hasn’t legalized any kind of cannabis program, along with Idaho. Lawmakers were hoping to change that this year. HB 209 would allow for the legalization and regulation of an adult-use cannabis program. HB 82 looked into studying the possible creation of a medical cannabis program in the state as well. While both measures passed committee hearings, they failed in full House chamber. Both bills did not receive a hearing or a vote.

This is surprising since many prominent Wyoming residents spoke about the positive effects cannabis has had on their lives. Even 54 percent of citizens agree with legalization efforts. However, lawmakers are still on the fence about how they want to move forward.

Even though these bills died, reform is still possible in several other states. Currently, New Mexico’s governor is calling for a special session to make sure that citizens have access to adult-use cannabis by the end of this year when HB 12 died in the Senate chamber. Others, like Delaware, have reintroduced previous bills in hopes for more favor towards them than in previous years.

Laws are always changing, so we will update you with the latest. Make sure to check back for more cannabis and hemp related news.