The 2021 session of the Maryland General Assembly will bring yet another effort to legalize recreational, or “adult use,” cannabis. But this year’s legalization bill also takes aim at some of the conditions that have caused glaring racial disparities in the existing cannabis industry, as well as in the American legal system.
House Bill 32 (HB32) is the latest of the yearly attempts by state legislators to fully legalize the possession, cultivation and use of marijuana. If passed, the bill would expand on the 2012 legalization of medical cannabis in Maryland, adding a new layer to the cannabis industry that has since been built in the state under the guidance of the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission.
Similarly to former legalization proposals, HB32 would make it legal for Marylanders age 21 and older to possess up to two ounces of cannabis for personal, recreational use. The bill also sets parameters for legal amounts of cannabis concentrates and other THC-infused products for recreational use. If passed, Maryland would join 15 other states and Washington, D.C., in legalizing marijuana for adult use.
