Cannabis will be legal starting July 1; Governor signs adult-use market bill

On November 8, 2022, 67.2% of Maryland voters approved Question 4 —  a legislatively referred ballot question to legalize cannabis for adults 21 and over. The passage of Question 4 was the highest margin of any ballot measure to legalize cannabis.

Beginning July 1, 2023, adults will be able to legally possess up to 1.5 ounces of cannabis and cultivate up to two plants in Maryland. A summary of Question 4, and the companion bill (HB 837) to begin implementing it, is available here. 

During the 2023 legislative session, the Maryland General Assembly passed twin bills (HB 556/ SB 516) that implement an adult-use cannabis market in Maryland. On May 4, 2023, Governor Wes Moore (D) signed the legislation into law. Beginning July 1, 2023, existing medical dispensaries will be able to serve adult-use consumers — the same day possession and home cultivation become legal. You can check out our full summary of the law here.

In addition to the omnibus implementation bill, the legislature also passed HB 1071, which provides the odor of cannabis alone is not grounds for a search and reduces the penalty for public smoking from $250 fine to a $50 fine for a first offense. Governor Moore let the bill become law without his signature on May 19. It will go into effect July 1, 2023.

Make sure you plug into the Maryland Cannabis Policy Coalition for updates.

There’s More Work to Be Done

MPP leads the Maryland Cannabis Policy Coalition, which for years has been advocating for equitable legalization. This advocacy spurred Maryland state lawmakers to refer Question 4 to the 2022 ballot and pass the companion bill to set up the initial steps for legalization. MPP also played an instrumental role in assisting the Yes on 4 campaign to ensure Question 4’s success, and we’ve been a consistent voice to ensure equity is at the heart of legalization, from an equitable industry to criminal justice reforms and community reinvestment.

While we’re thrilled by Maryland’s progress toward humane cannabis policies, there is still work to be done — including improving expungement provisions, employment and other non-discrimination protections, and preventing parole, probation, and pre-trial release from being revoked based on cannabis.

MPP leads the Maryland Cannabis Policy Coalition, which for years has been advocating for equitable legalization. This advocacy spurred Maryland state lawmakers to refer Question 4 to the 2022 ballot and pass the companion bill to set up the initial steps for legalization. MPP also played an instrumental role in assisting the Yes on 4 campaign to ensure Question 4’s success. 

Legislature overrides governor's veto to shield past cannabis convictions

Just before the legislature adjourned its shortened 2020 session, lawmakers approved a bill — HB 83 — to automatically shield past cannabis charges occurring before October 1, 2014 in which possession was the only charge in the case. Sadly, former Gov. Larry Hogan vetoed the legislation.

However, the legislature overrode Gov. Hogan’s veto during the 2021 session, and the bill became law on February 12, 2021.

HB 83 shields nearly 200,000 past cannabis possession charges from public view on the Judiciary’s “Case Search” website. Unfortunately, this is not a full record expungement. However, the 2022 legalization companion bill (HB 837/SB 833) included automatic expungement for possession offenses where they were the only charge, which must occur by July 2024.

Stay connected

To stay updated on the status of marijuana policy reform in Maryland, be sure to subscribe to MPP's alerts, if you haven't done so already.