Medical marijuana law needs improvement; task force bill dies in committee
Last update: May 27, 2009
Current medical marijuana law
In 2003, Gov. Robert Ehrlich (R) signed the Darrell Putman Compassionate Use Act into law. It protects seriously ill patients from being sentenced to prison for possessing marijuana if they can prove a "medical necessity" for using it. However, it does not protect them from arrest, and it does not provide them with safe access to their medicine (such as by cultivation). Although the law does not protect medical marijuana patients from harassment, arrest, and trial, the bill was a step in the right direction: The maximum penalty for patients who prove "medical necessity" for possessing medical marijuana or paraphernalia is now a $100 fine.
Recent legislative history
This year, Delegate Henry Heller (D-Montgomery County), working with our ally Americans for Safe Access, introduced H.B. 1339, which would create a task force to collect data and make recommendations about Maryland's medical marijuana law. This task force would have evaluated whether the current state law is effective, fair, and equally enforced across all state jurisdictions, recommend whether purchasing marijuana with a recommendation from a health care provider should be included in the law, and study the feasibility of having the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the University of Maryland School of Medicine establish research programs to study the medical and social issues relating to the therapeutic use of marijuana. H.B. 1339 received a hearing in the House Judiciary Committee. However, committee Chairman Joseph Vallario (D-Calvert and Prince George's Counties) refused to schedule the bill for a vote and it died in committee.
Similarly, in 2007, the General Assembly considered legislation that would have significantly improved Maryland's current medical marijuana law. Delegate Vallario also refused to schedule that bill for a vote. When Maryland's medical marijuana was introduced, it allowed for safe access to medical marijuana and did not burden patients with a trial and fine. However, the bill was dramatically revised to its current form in Delegate Vallario's committee. Vallario has been a consistent obstacle to Maryland's medical marijuana patients having full protection of the law and safe access to their medicine.
Rest assured that the champions of this legislation are strategizing for other options to ensure its passage in the near future. Please send a letter of support to your legislators. You may also visit this page to find out who your elected state officials are and their contact information, and then call or write them. Please remember to always be polite but firm in your support for an improvement to the medical marijuana law.
Write a letter to the editor
Besides contacting your legislators and urging them to sponsor an effective medical marijuana bill, you can also write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper. A well-written letter about the need for a medical marijuana law is a great way to encourage legislators to bring this issue to the table for discussion. Please use our talking points as a launching pad for your own ideas. If you are comfortable sharing your own personal experiences, we encourage you to do so as stories about real people are always the most compelling. If you'd like to send a letter to the editor, but you aren't confident in your writing skills, please feel free to e-mail state@mpp.org for assistance.
Get involved
If you are a medical professional, a patient who might benefit from medical marijuana, or if you know somebody who might benefit from medical marijuana, we would like to hear from you. Additionally, if you are a law enforcement official or a clergy member, please e-mail state@mpp.org to see how you can be of special help.
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