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Proposal would make Maryland the 5th state to allow for state-licensed distribution of medical marijuana — ask your legislators to co-sponsor the bill.
Dear MPP Supporter:
On Tuesday, lawmakers, patients, and advocates held a press conference in Annapolis to announce their intent to introduce medical marijuana legislation in Maryland. Sponsored by Del. Dan Morhaim (D-Baltimore) and Sens. David Brinkley (R-Frederick) and Jamie Raskin (D-Montgomery County), the bills would improve on Maryland’s current medical marijuana law by protecting patients from arrest and allowing for distribution through state-licensed "dispensing centers." Maryland’s current law, the Darrell Putnam Compassionate Use Act, was passed in 2003 and provides those who use marijuana to treat a medical condition with a limited affirmative defense in court that limits their punishment to a $100 fine, but still subjects them to the possibility of a criminal conviction (to say nothing of arrest, attorneys fees, legal fees, and public embarrassment). Under this legislation, patients would no longer fear arrest and would no longer be forced to turn to drug dealers to get the medicine their doctor recommends.
Please click here to ask your legislators to co-sponsor this compassionate legislation.
"This bill will provide Maryland’s doctors and patients with another tool in the toolbox, to be used safely and responsibly like any other therapy," said Del. Morhaim, a physician who is board-certified in both internal medicine and emergency medicine.
Sen. Brinkley, the Senate bill’s co-sponsor, had this to say: "As a cancer survivor, I feel that it shouldn’t be the policy of this or any other state to arrest, prosecute, or imprison a person who uses marijuana under a doctor’s advice to alleviate pain and suffering. I just watched my mother pass away from cancer as she chose to forego the only options that doctors could prescribe her to relieve her pain, because the treatments were so excruciating."
As you can see, this proposal has great lead sponsorship, but we need as many co-sponsors as possible to make sure it doesn’t suffer the same fate as medical marijuana bills in recent years that never got an up-or-down vote. The single most important thing you can do is write your legislators and ask them to be co-sponsors. We’ll even make it easy by finding your legislator for you and giving you a pre-written message you can send in, edit, or delete in favor of your own comments.
Lastly, if you’re a doctor, patient, or law enforcement official, your voice would be especially powerful. Please e-mail me and we’ll talk about the best way for you to get involved.
Thanks as always,
Dan Riffle

Legislative Analyst

Marijuana Policy Project |
