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Senate hearings air marijuana change

Sunday Star - 3/6/2017

ANNAPOLIS - Supporters and detractors alike gathered in Annapolis to testify about two marijuana legalization bills being heard by the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee Thursday afternoon.

Sen. Brian Feldman, D-Montgomery, is sponsoring a proposed referendum on an amendment to the state's constitution and Sen. Richard Madaleno Jr., D-Montgomery, is sponsoring a bill that would legalize marijuana, and specify how it will be taxed.

Both the constitutional amendment and Madaleno's bill would allow for the legalization of the use, possession, transportation, sale and cultivation of marijuana in the state.

Feldman's referendum, if voters approve it, would allow an individual to possess up to two ounces of marijuana, while Madaleno's allows for one ounce of marijuana but offers different amounts for different forms, such as edibles or creams, of the drug.

"For the Green Party, we believe in direct democracy, we believe that the people have a right to decide their own future and (Feldman's) bill would set legalization of marijuana as a constitutional referendum for 2018," said Maryland resident Justin Schoville.

Schoville and the Maryland Green Party "have some questions about" Madaleno's bill because of the taxation and regulation aspects, he said.

State analysts said they believe that Madaleno's bill legalizing and taxing marijuana would provide at least an additional $49 million in annual tax revenues for the state. There would be an initial cost of about $2.1 million to implement the legalization of the drug.

Feldman's measure does not define how the taxes will be collected, however the revenue raised must be spent on public school education, construction and capital improvement, substance abuse treatment and prevention, mental health services and recidivism, reduction and reentry services.

"The legal cannabis market in Colorado generated nearly $1 billion in total sales and $135 million in tax revenue for the state," the Maryland Public Policy Institute said in a January report. "Tax collections in Maryland could easily equal or exceed those in Colorado."

However, some argue the legalization of marijuana could have unfortunate effects on communities.

"Nobody is talking about it," Aubree Adams, a Pueblo, Colo., resident told the University of Maryland'sCapital News Service. "Homelessness is up, high crime is up."