Maryland’s plan to use cannabis tax revenue for local community programs faces a series of setbacks from its equity office.
The Community Reinvestment and Repair Fund (CRRF) was established by Maryland state lawmakers in 2022. The fund allocates 35% of tax revenue from cannabis sales in Maryland for counties to spend on programs serving low-income communities. Counties receive the funds based on the proportion of cannabis possession charges in their jurisdiction relative to the total statewide number from 2002 to 2023.
A spokeswoman for the Maryland Office of Social Equity (OSE), which was established in 2023 to manage CRRF, told Spotlight on Maryland that less than 1% of the fund has been spent by counties.
“In February of 2025, OSE collected data from all jurisdictions on CRRF utilization,” the OSE spokeswoman wrote in an email statement. “Of the $89+ million allocated, approximately $451,785 has been spent across two of the jurisdictions.”
OSE was established through legislation in 2023 that required it to publish a report by March of each year that details how CRRF funds were allocated in the previous calendar year. The OSE spokeswoman confirmed to Spotlight on Maryland that no such report has been published.
Click here to read the rest of the article written by Patrick Hauf over at Fox 45 News Baltimore
