from ASA 03-11-2010
Maryland Medical Cannabis Bill Debated,
Patient Cultivation Proposed
State lawmakers in Maryland are currently working on bills in each house of their legislature that would remove criminal penalties for qualified patients who use cannabis on the advice of their physicians. The state law currently allows an affirmative medical defense that, if successful, reduces the conviction to the lowest level misdemeanor with a maximum $100 fine.
House Bill 291, sponsored by Del. Dan Morhaim, and Senate Bill 308, sponsored by Sen. David Brinkley, would protect patients from arrest and prosecution and establish a state-run production and distribution system.
The House bill was debated in committee on the last day of February, where it was opposed by the head of the state’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, a former federal Food and Drug Administration official. The Senate bill went before committee at the beginning of March.
House Delegates are also considering an amendment offered by House Deputy Majority Whip Del. Cheryl Glenn, which would allow registered patients to cultivate their own medicine.
"I've had two loved ones succumb to the ravages of cancer. Both of them got to the point where they couldn't eat and their doctors wished they could recommend medical marijuana to stimulate their appetite," said Del. Glenn. "I also know what it's like to live in poverty and to not be able to afford desperately needed medicine. People should not be denied access to medical marijuana because they cannot afford it or because they cannot travel to locations where it's dispensed."
As Barry Considine, a polio survivor from Halethorpe, Maryland, who uses medical cannabis says, "I know which strain of marijuana works best for my particular medical condition, so why would I be denied the right to grow that medicine myself, especially at a price I can afford?"
In preparation for the hearing, ASA provided Maryland lawmakers with a brief report on the importance and benefits of allowing patient cultivation. The report notes that, particularly for rural and low-income patients, personal cultivation can offer better affordability, reliability, consistency, and quality than centralized distribution facilities. Such facilities are also more vulnerable to federal interference and closures.
New Jersey is the only state that has passed a medical cannabis law that denies all patients the right to cultivate. More than a year since the bill passed, not a single New Jersey patient has access to legal medical cannabis.
Maryland Medical Cannabis Bill Debated,
Patient Cultivation Proposed
State lawmakers in Maryland are currently working on bills in each house of their legislature that would remove criminal penalties for qualified patients who use cannabis on the advice of their physicians. The state law currently allows an affirmative medical defense that, if successful, reduces the conviction to the lowest level misdemeanor with a maximum $100 fine.
House Bill 291, sponsored by Del. Dan Morhaim, and Senate Bill 308, sponsored by Sen. David Brinkley, would protect patients from arrest and prosecution and establish a state-run production and distribution system.
The House bill was debated in committee on the last day of February, where it was opposed by the head of the state’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, a former federal Food and Drug Administration official. The Senate bill went before committee at the beginning of March.
House Delegates are also considering an amendment offered by House Deputy Majority Whip Del. Cheryl Glenn, which would allow registered patients to cultivate their own medicine.
"I've had two loved ones succumb to the ravages of cancer. Both of them got to the point where they couldn't eat and their doctors wished they could recommend medical marijuana to stimulate their appetite," said Del. Glenn. "I also know what it's like to live in poverty and to not be able to afford desperately needed medicine. People should not be denied access to medical marijuana because they cannot afford it or because they cannot travel to locations where it's dispensed."
As Barry Considine, a polio survivor from Halethorpe, Maryland, who uses medical cannabis says, "I know which strain of marijuana works best for my particular medical condition, so why would I be denied the right to grow that medicine myself, especially at a price I can afford?"
In preparation for the hearing, ASA provided Maryland lawmakers with a brief report on the importance and benefits of allowing patient cultivation. The report notes that, particularly for rural and low-income patients, personal cultivation can offer better affordability, reliability, consistency, and quality than centralized distribution facilities. Such facilities are also more vulnerable to federal interference and closures.
New Jersey is the only state that has passed a medical cannabis law that denies all patients the right to cultivate. More than a year since the bill passed, not a single New Jersey patient has access to legal medical cannabis.
