Over the last several years the marijuana policy has greatly evolved in Maryland, and more changes are on the horizon. From the decriminalization of small amounts of pot to medical cannabis, and even the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office ending prosecution for marijuana possession, the progress has been undeniable. On…
Articles Posted in Marijuana
Ocean City Marijuana and Weapons Violations Increase
Ocean City Police have issued more than 7 times the number of marijuana citations in May and June as they did those same months in 2019, and some local officials are getting concerned. Last May police officers in Maryland’s only beachfront town wrote a measly 8 civil citations for marijuana…
Governor Vetoes Automatic Marijuana Expungement
The 2020 Maryland legislative session came and went without much fanfare, as any news coming out of Annapolis was largely overshadowed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, there were some interesting criminal law developments that came at the tail end of the shortened session. For the last few years we have…
Lawmakers Propose Automatic Expungements
As the Maryland criminal code continues to evolve with the times there is an increasing need to address the issue of expungement. Maryland has a fair and user-friendly expungement process, and in most cases, there is no fee to apply. Lawmakers already did away with the $30 application fee for…
Wicomico County May Criminalize Public Pot Smoking
Fruitland is a small Eastern Shore city located off of Route 13, just south of Salisbury and a few miles north of Princess Anne. As an incorporated municipality, Fruitland maintains a city council that can enact legislation, and a police department to enforce its laws. With a population of around…
Marijuana Definition Change Could Lead To Dismissed Charges
This past summer the Maryland Governor signed off on a bill that changed the definition of marijuana, and now the impacts of this bill could have a real effect in courtrooms across the state. The bill did not receive much media attention despite the fact that it was marijuana related…
Medical Marijuana Still Growing
As we approach the two-year anniversary of the first medical marijuana sales in Maryland all signs point to the program’s continued growth. On December 1st of 2017 dozens of patients lined up at a Montgomery County dispensary to become the first purchasers of legal cannabis in the state. The Rockville…
Marijuana No Longer Grounds For Personal Search
Maryland’s highest court recently ruled that law enforcement officers are no longer permitted to search a person who is in possession of less than 10 grams of marijuana. The case came to the Court of Appeals after a Silver Spring man was arrested for possession of cocaine with intent to…
D.C. Mayor To Battle Congress Over Marijuana
Over four years ago Washington D.C. residents voted to legalize marijuana by a majority of almost two to one, but reality set in soon after the celebrations ended. The natural progression of marijuana legalization (the path Maryland is currently traveling) begins with decriminalization, then the establishment of a medical program…
Legislative Session Ends Without Fireworks
The 2019 Maryland legislative session has come to an end, and unlike previous years where marijuana was decriminalized or mandatory prison sentences for certain drug offenses were effectively discarded, there will be no drastic changes to the criminal code come October. While not headline makers, lawmakers did successfully address some…