Steve Burns
WMAL.com
ANNAPOLIS – A new effort to legalize marijuana in Maryland would open up the vote to the entire state.
Delegate David Moon (D-Takoma Park) tells WMAL some lawmakers that are wary of an outright legalization seem to be more open to the idea of opening it up to a statewide referendum.
“My preference would be that we just do this outright and not have to worry about a constitutional referendum, and if we go that route we just need a simple majority,” Moon tells WMAL. “(A constitutional amendment) requires a supermajority of both chambers to issue a constitutional referendum, so we’re going to see if there’s any traction for that in the coming session.”
Moon says support is only growing for legalization, citing “poll after poll” showing an increase in support.
“Once again, we find ourselves in a position where the voters are far ahead of where lawmakers are right now, and we’re hoping that this year, we can close that gap in the Assembly.”
Should the constitutional amendment pass in the Assembly, the question would most likely appear on the 2018 ballot, at the same time Governor Larry Hogan is up for re-election. Some say it could draw more Democratic voters to the polls in an attempt to unseat Hogan, but Moon says the issue transcends political parties.
“I’d like to think this is not a partisan issue,” Moon says. “When you look at the breadth of support for legalization across counties, the voters themselves are not seeing this as a partisan issue.”
Copyright 2017 by WMAL.com. All Rights Reserved. (PHOTO: KVVU via CNN)
