ANNAPOLIS, Md. — 88 pages lay out how Maryland will govern the recreational weed industry.
Each person and lawmaker has a different goal of this bill, some want strict enforcement, some want to see a high tax, others want a low barrier of entry for growers and sellers.
Delegate C.T. Wilson, the bill's sponsor, gave his thoughts to the House Economic Matters committee.
"As I've said multiple times, I'm not here to create a cash cow for the state or just the marketplace for the intoxicants. I'm here to make sure young people can stop being arrested and dying because of this substance," said Delegate Wilson.
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Growers like Gina Lee Thomas are in favor of the bill as is, saying it's extremely friendly to them compared to other states.
She currently grows marijuana in Oklahoma, but is looking to grow in her home state.
"The $5,000 application fee is low compared to some states, the fact that you can get the license without actually having a location cause some states require that you have a location first and that's a huge hurdle to get a location not even knowing if you're going to get a license," said Thomas.
Others aren't satisfied with the bill as it's written.
Kevin Ford Jr. and the uplift action fund are against police being the group to enforce the bill's rules.
"We want to ensure that our communities don't suffer from the same ptsd that we've seen from cannabis criminalization that we've seen for decades," said Ford.
He wants to see the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission expand to oversee all cannabis regulation.
80 people signed up to testify at the committee hearing.
We've heard some lawmakers want a higher tax on recreational marijuana, the bill would set it at six percent to start, then raise it to 10.
Another issue members of the committee brought up is medical retailers can start selling in July after paying to convert their license.
New sellers will have to wait until January of next year.
It's unclear if lawmakers can move up the timeline for new sellers to be able to hit the market.
