Hot on the heels of the introduction of a bill to tax and regulate marijuana in Maine earlier today, Delegate Curt Anderson (D-Baltimore) has filed legislation in Maryland that would end his state’s prohibition on marijuana and regulate its possession, use, and sale for adults over the age of 21.

House Bill 1453 would create a system to regulate and tax cannabis in a manner similar to how the state handles alcohol. It would instruct the Maryland comptroller to license marijuana retail stores, wholesale facilities and testing facilities and apply an excise tax of $50 per ounce on wholesale sales. The excise tax revenue would go to fund treatment programs to prevent alcohol, tobacco and drug abuse. You can read the full text of this proposal here.

If you live in Maryland, please take a moment and use NORML’s Take Action Center here to easily contact your Representative and urge him or her to support this important legislation.

MARYLAND: Click here to urge your elected officials to support this legislation

The winds of reform are blowing strongly at our backs, with Maryland entering the fray, there is currently a total of six states (Maine, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont) with pending legislation to legalize marijuana for adult consumption. Check out the full list of pending state legislation here and find out if your state is considering marijuana law reforms in this legislative session.

Yes, federal law trumps state law, however, once enough states change their laws there will be enough support to change federal law. This is how alcohol prohibition was first passed and then later repealed. Also, it is local law enforcement that conducts most of the arrests, so if their mission statement is changed you have fewer jack booted thugs to worry about.

Check out NORML and the Drug Policy Alliance for more information about this.

Cannabis legalization will occur, it is just a matter of time and effort!

Peace!

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) authored H.R. 689, the “States’ Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act,” which in addition to rescheduling marijuana will allow states to establish production and distribution laws without interference by the federal government, and will remove current obstacles to research.

Rep. Sam Farr (D-CA) authored the “Truth in Trials Act,” a separate bill which seeks to overturn the prohibition on medical marijuana evidence in federal court.

The more that states go for legalization, the harder it will be for the feds to spread their resources around to hassle those states, even if they continue to want to.