Maryland Cannabis Policy Coalition Releases Voter Guide to General Assembly Primary Races

Maryland Cannabis Policy Coalition Releases Voter Guide to General Assembly Primary Races

ANNAPOLIS,Md. The Maryland Cannabis Policy Coalition released a General Assembly voterguide Thursday that documents and grades candidates positions on cannabispolicy. The release comes exactly two weeks before early voting begins in the2018 primary election (June 14).

In March, theMarijuana Policy Project releaseda separate guideto theDemocraticgubernatorial primary candidates.

The GeneralAssembly voter guide is based on a questionnaire that was sent to the 550 officialHouse and Senate candidates contending in theJune 26primary. Candidates wereasked for their positions on regulating and taxing cannabis for adult use and homecultivation, as well as for comments on the controversial implementation of thestates medicalcannabis program. The guide also notes whether candidates havepreviously co-sponsored bills to legalize and regulate cannabis for adults orrefer the question to voters.

Legislation that would have allowed voters todecide was debated in the General Assembly this year, but it did not receive avote.

Marylandersdo not get to vote on legalization this year, but they do get to weigh in onthe legislators who declined to put it on the ballot, said Kate Bell,legislative counselfor the Marijuana Policy Project. This is theirchance to send a message to current and future lawmakers that legalizing,regulating, and taxing cannabis for adult use should bea priority forlawmakers next year. Most people recognize cannabis prohibition has been acostly failure and they want to know where their candidates stand.

Sixty-fourpercent of likely Maryland voters support making cannabis legal for adults,according to a Washington Post-University of Maryland poll conducted inSeptember2016.

Advocatesalso expressed concern at ...

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