In the legislature’s final morning session of the year, the Maryland State Senate passed HB Bill 1443 as amended by the Senate to reform the state’s medical cannabis program and add five licenses for minority-owned companies and two for companies that should have originally received grower pre-approvals.
The decision rests with Speaker Mike Busch and the House of Delegates to pass the bill into law to correct problems that have emerged in the state’s medical cannabis program. In particular, state legislative leaders have identified the underrepresentation of minorities and the wrongful actions of the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission (MMCC) in denying pre-approvals to Green Thumb Industries (GTI) and Maryland Cultivation and Processing (MCP) as primary areas of contention that the bill would address.
The bill would also overhaul the MMCC’s membership and operations and ensure there are no further delays in getting medical marijuana to Maryland patients who will use the medicine to combat severe or chronic diseases and physical pain.
In the last week, Legislative Black Caucus leaders and others across both chambers have identified the Senate bill as the only path forward to both save the state’s medical cannabis program and put an end to the controversies that have roiled the program.
Delegate Cheryl Glenn, the chair of the Legislative Black Caucus, and Senator Joan Carter Conway are lead backers of the bill, which received the full support of Senate President Mike Miller. Members of the Legislative Black Caucus in the House of Delegates are united in their support of the bill.
The decision to pass HB Bill 1443 as amended by the Senate would give the industry a needed expansion and incorporation of minority-owned firms as the preliminary licenses issued last fall did not consider minority ownership, despite the law requiring it to do so.
Speaker Busch and the House have until midnight to pass the bill as the session clock ticks toward sine die tonight.
Updated 6:30am, 4/11/2017: The bill did not pass.
Click here to read about the final results of the 2017 Maryland legislative session.