If passed, the use of recreational marijuana for adults would be legal after July 1, 2023.
Possession of up to 1.5 ounces would be legal. Maryland would be the 20th state to legalize recreational marijuana.
In 2014, Maryland decriminalized the possession of ten grams of marijuana. That is currently a civil violation with a penalty of $100 for the first offense.
Democrats say there will be ways to safely regulate the use of marijuana as well as have processes in place for licensing. There are people who are concerned about the effect this would have on people’s health, particularly the brain.