Maryland’s Senate President Bill Ferguson announced during a press conference that the body will vote on a bill to set forth rules for an adult-use marijuana market. According to Marijuana Moment, this is in preparation for the voter-approved law that will go into effect this summer.
The accompanying version has already been passed by the House. When they were first introduced, the bills were the same, but the House bill has been changed over the course of the legislative process.
Ferguson said that his chamber’s bill, which was talked about in the Senate Finance Committee earlier this month, will also be changed. This is because hemp businesses have pointed out problems with the bill as it is written that could hurt their businesses.
Even though the House and Senate initially received the same bills, the House’s version has evolved over time in response to input from local hemp industry professionals and recently published reports on consumer trends. More changes may be necessary to accommodate concerned hemp businesses and individuals, according to Ferguson, who described it as “a tough issue”.
