‘Yes on 4’ ballot campaign launches push to legalize marijuana in Md.

September 8, 2022
AggregatedNews
Maryland
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An industry-backed campaign to legalize recreational marijuana in Maryland launched Thursday, urging voters to pick “yes on 4,” the November ballot question about legalizing pot possession for adults 21 and over.

If the referendum passes, Marylanders who are at least 21 years old will be able to legally possess up to 1.5 ounces of cannabis and grow two marijuana plants out of the public view, beginning July 1, 2023. Under legislation approved by state lawmakers earlier this year, the sale of marijuana remains a crime.

The campaign, which began with a website and video urging voters to support legalization, relies on funding from Trulieve, according to election finance filings dated Aug. 30. The company — an industry giant with dispensaries in eight states, including three medical locations in Maryland — is listed as giving $50,000 to the cause. The only other donor, Blended Public Affairs, gave $100.

If voters support the measure, Maryland will become the 20th state to legalize adult use of the substance. In the region, D.C. legalized use in 2014 and Virginia did so in 2021.

“Legalizing cannabis would stimulate Maryland’s economy and create tens of thousands of good-paying jobs, while allowing Maryland residents to benefit from vital investments in education, public health, and public safety funded by cannabis taxes,” the initiative’s chairman, cannabis advocate and former Ravens player Eugene Monroe, said in a statement. [Read More @ The Washington Post]