Proposed Bill Would Enshrine Marijuana Rights In Md. Constitution

Kendra Yoshinaga

WMAL.com

WASHINGTON (WMAL)– The Maryland state legislature will hear a bill today that would legalize marijuana via the state constitution.

The bill would add a constitutional amendment giving Marylanders over age 21 the right to “use, possess, and cultivate” marijuana. If it passes the legislature, the proposed amendment would appear on the 2018 ballot.

Del. David Moon (D-Montgomery County), who introduced the bill, said that by proposing a constitutional amendment, legislators could ultimately let voters decide whether or not marijuana should be legalized. Other pathways to legalization have proven more difficult because legislators fear voter backlash, Moon said.

“If the politicians are too scared to touch the issue due to the stigma from the failed drug war, I think they should get out of the way and let the voters decide,” Moon told the Baltimore Sun.