Pubdate: Sat, 31 Jan 2015
Source: Baltimore Sun (MD)
Copyright: 2015 The Baltimore Sun Company
Contact:  http://www.baltimoresun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/37
Author: Timothy B. Wheeler

ADVOCATES PUSH FOR LEGAL MARIJUANA

Supporters Hope Laws in Other States Will Pave the Way for MD.

In a year when budget cuts dominate debate in Annapolis, advocates 
for legalizing marijuana are mounting a renewed effort to get 
Maryland to follow the lead of Colorado and Washington state - if not 
now, then in a year or two.

A Colorado state legislator and an elected official from Seattle 
joined legalization supporters at a news conference Friday to say 
that voter-passed initiatives in their states are proceeding more or 
less smoothly to treat recreational use of cannabis much like another 
legal but regulated substance, alcohol.

"The sky hasn't fallen. Things are working," said Jonathan Singer, a 
Colorado state representative. He said he was one of only two 
lawmakers in his state to publicly endorse the 2012 voter initiative 
there to legalize, regulate and tax marijuana.

Peter S. Holmes, Seattle's city attorney, said he campaigned on a 
promise to stop prosecuting marijuana possession cases because he 
believed they were undermining law enforcement and respect for the law.

Washington state is gradually proceeding to establish a regulated 
marijuana industry, Holmes said, with only about a third of the 
authorized retail outlets open so far.

Legalization efforts have fallen short twice before in Annapolis, and 
sponsors of this year's bill acknowledge that it's a long shot this 
session, too. But they point to a recent poll indicating 53 percent 
of Marylanders support legalization.

Del. Curt Anderson, a Baltimore Democrat who's sponsored the previous 
efforts, said he believes lawmakers will eventually come around to 
legalizing marijuana.

Anderson said Maryland's move last year to decriminalize possession 
of small amounts wasn't enough. Although police and prosecutors in 
Baltimore and a few counties are pursuing fewer marijuana cases, he 
said that's not the case everywhere around the state.

"Marijuana isn't the drug people think it is," he said.

Marijuana is still illegal under federal law. That casts a 
significant shadow on states' efforts to legalize it, particularly by 
restricting marijuana producers' and retailers' access to the 
federally regulated banking system. Some businesses have had trouble 
getting loans or making deposits at banks worried about repercussions.

But with Congress unable or unwilling to change that, states are 
acting, said state Sen. Jamie Raskin, a Montgomery County Democrat 
who's the legalization bill's chief sponsor in that chamber.

"Federal drug policy has been a total failure for decades now," he 
said, "and states are moving ahead."

Anderson, Raskin and other supporters say they hope lawmakers will 
warm to the idea of legalization after hearing how other states are 
managing it and avoiding pitfalls.

According to Singer, there's been no increase in teen marijuana use 
in Colorado since it was legalized, no increase in 
driving-while-impaired offenses and no jump in violent crime related 
to drug dealing. What's more, he said, it's brought $60 million in 
tax revenue to the state.

Even so, Maryland Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller said he does 
not believe legislators are ready to approve legalization.

"We're going to move forward with medical marijuana, try to solve 
people's aches and ills," said Miller, a Calvert County Democrat. "If 
it's a valuable resource for people with cancer, we're going to make 
it available to them. But in terms of making it available to the 
general public, I don't anticipate that happening any time soon." 
Lawmakers still have questions about keeping marijuana away from 
children and teens and how to end the black market in illegal pot 
sales, he said.

"We still have a long way to go," Miller said.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom