ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Possessing marijuana will no longer be a crime in Maryland. Legislation adopted this year to remove criminal penalties in Maryland for the possession of Marijuana go into effect Wednesday, making it the 19th state to adopt such a policy.
“Decriminalization means replacing criminal penalties for the simple possession of personal amounts of marijuana with civil penalties, similar to a traffic ticket,” explained Rachelle Yeung with the Marijuana Policy Project on Tuesday’s MetroNews Talkline.
Senate Bill 364 makes possession of less than 10 grams of marijuana a civil offense punishable by a fine of up to $100 for a first offense, up to $250 for a second offense, and up to $500 for subsequent offenses. Third-time offenders and individuals under 21 years of age will be required to undergo a clinical assessment for substance abuse disorder and a drug education program.
“Now that the people of Maryland have asserted that the simple possession of marijuana should not be a crime it makes sense to think about where people are getting that marijuana. Right now, that is in the criminal market in an untaxed and unregulated system,” Yeung said.
The legislation’s supporters includes the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland, which says law enforcement has disproportionately targeted communities of color in enforcing marijuana laws.
“Decriminalizing possession of marijuana is a key step on the road to saner drug policy in Maryland. For too long, tens of thousands of Marylanders, disproportionately Black Marylanders, have faced life-altering criminal penalties simply for possessing a substance most voters believe should be legalized,” said Sara Love, public policy director for the ACLU of Maryland. “Going forward, we hope that legislators will seriously consider sensible legislation to regulate and tax marijuana.”