Democratic Comptroller Candidates Support Cannabis Legalization, Equitable Industry

As efforts to legalize cannabis in Maryland ramp up, Democratic comptroller candidates are looking to create an equitable marijuana industry in the state.

House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D-Baltimore County) said last month that she would support a referendum next year on whether recreational marijuana should be legalized, and she set up a cannabis workgroup to create plans for a legal marijuana industry. Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) has said his chamber plans to move forward with a bill to legalize recreational marijuana use in 2022.

Both of the declared Democratic contenders for comptroller, Bowie Mayor Timothy J. Adams and Del. Brooke E. Lierman (D-Baltimore City), have made legalizing cannabis — and building an equitable marijuana industry in Maryland — a central aspect of their campaigns.

Adams has repeatedly shared a graphic on social media that reads “legalize it, tax it, regulate it, educate people about it.” Adams said he thinks tax revenue from recreational marijuana could be used to fund a host of reforms statewide.

Read more: https://www.marylandmatters.org/2021/08/16/democratic-comptroller-candidates-support-cannabis-legalization-equitable-industry/