Legalizing Recreational Marijuana in Maryland Up to Voters

A question on Maryland’s ballot will decide if recreational marijuana use should be legal for adults.

Maryland already legalized medical marijuana and decriminalized small amounts.

Question 4 on the ballot asks voters, “Do you favor the legalization of the use of cannabis by an individual who is at least 21 years of age on or after July 1, 2023, in the State of Maryland?”

“I'm fairly neutral on Question 4,” said Kevin Becker, who has a Ph.D. in molecular biology and favors cannabis warnings and education. “My interest is in public health.”

Becker says the state needs to be more transparent about the serious side effects some experience with cannabis and how it can negatively impact their mental health.

“Most of the oxygen in the room is taken up by equity, tax revenue and things like that – which are fine topics and they're relevant, very relevant topics – but there's not much discussion about public health,” he said.

Christina Betancourt Johnson, CEO of Standard Wellness Maryland who just got a license to grow cannabis in Maryland, agrees education is critical if Question 4 passes.

“We have a negative connotation of cannabis and with cannabis, and so I think that by leading legalizing this plant, we have a pathway for actually treating a number of conditions, quite frankly, that we don't discuss openly,” she said.

If passed, adults 21 and older can have up to 1.5 ounces of marijuana starting July 2023. People caught with larger amounts could face civil fines.

Kevin Ford, executive director of Uplift Action Fund, who champions equity in cannabis, says Question 4's companion bill does not go far enough in legalization.

“This is about our entire community as a whole and criminal justice reform as a whole,” he said.

Ford worries some may not really understand what they are voting for.

“I think that a lot of folks when they hear, Oh, you know, cannabis is legal, that the first thing that they want to do is go, you know, smoke somewhere out in public, at a park, but that is still a civil offense,” Ford said.

Question 4 only answers if Marylanders are OK with legalizing marijuana.

The taxation, distribution and marketing of the plant would then need to be taken care of by the legislature. That work has already started in work groups. They hope to have most of that framework ready by spring.

Polls show a majority of Marylanders support legalizing cannabis.

If Question 4 passes, Maryland would join the District and 19 states that have already legalized marijuana. It is still under federal prohibition.