Proposed Maryland bill would relax cannabis laws, while cracking down on gun trafficking
A proposed bill that would relax Maryland's cannabis laws while increasing penalties for firearm trafficking is making its way through the Maryland Senate.
Maryland House Bill 413
would make it legal for adults over the age of 21 to manufacture cannabis products or concentrates for personal use or adult sharing at a private residence, provided the process does not involve volatile solvents.
In Maryland, personal use amounts of cannabis are defined as up to 1.5 ounces of usable cannabis, up to 12 grams of concentrated cannabis, cannabis products containing 750 milligrams or fewer of THC, and no more than two cannabis plants.
The penalty for possessing 50 or more pounds of cannabis, which is currently a felony charge with a five-year minimum sentence, would be downgraded to a misdemeanor charge, "subject to imprisonment not exceeding 10 years or a fine not exceeding $50,000, or both," under the bill.
Those sentenced on or before Sep. 30, 2025, for charges relating to cannabis-related volume dealing, would have an opportunity to receive a sentence reduction. Under the bill, the penalty for cannabis-only drug kingpin conspiracies would be limited to a 20-year prison sentence, a fine up to $100,000, or both punishments.
The bill also relaxes penalties for cocaine base, while keeping existing penalties for possessing and distributing fentanyl, cocaine, and heroin.
Cannabis legalization in Maryland has been profitable for the state. Maryland collected
$14.6 million in tax revenue
from cannabis sales in just the first three months of 2024. Adult use sales doubled between July 1, 2023, when recreational cannabis was legalized, and the same day in 2024.
Maryland also became the first state to open a cannabis licensing round solely for qualifying social equity applicants across all license types, which is helping to create opportunities in communities historically impacted by cannabis prohibition.
In November 2024, the Maryland Department of Health launched a
Cannabis Public Health Data Dashboard
to track the impacts of cannabis use on public health since legalization. Data has shown that while youth cannabis use has decreased, cannabis-related emergency room visits have increased among adults ages 20 to 29.
Earlier this year, WJZ spoke to a Maryland doctor who said hospitals are seeing an uptick in visits related to
Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome (CHS)
, a severe condition that develops after using high concentrations of cannabinoids over a long period. Symptoms of CHS include cyclic vomiting, stomach pains, migraines, nausea, and diarrhea.
The proposed bill would increase the penalty for trafficking stolen firearms from a misdemeanor charge, to a felony. Violators would be eligible for sentences up to five years, with a fine up to $10,000, or both punishments, under the bill.
The penalty for transporting firearms illegally would also be changed from a misdemeanor to a felony, with a possible sentence of up to 10 years in prison, and a fine up to $25,000, or both punishments.
The bill would also make possessing "ghost guns", or firearms without a serial number, a felony punishable by serving up to five years in prison, or a $10,000 fine. Each firearm would be a separate violation.
In 2023, the Maryland General Assembly passed a law banning the sale or transfer of ghost guns.
Reducing gun violence has been a priority for Maryland leaders.
In February 2025, Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown and Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott
filed a lawsuit
against gun manufacturer Glock, alleging that the company violated the state's Gun Industry Accountability Act and contributed to the gun violence crisis by manufacturing pistols that can easily be converted into machine guns.
Baltimore City saw
major drops
in gun violence and homicides for the second consecutive year, with homicides down 23% in 2024 (201 compared to 261 in 2023) and non-fatal shootings dropping by 34% (414 compared to 635). The city also saw a 74% reduction in teen victims of homicides and non-fatal shootings.
These improvements
have been attributed to several initiatives, including Baltimore's Group Violence Reduction Strategy (GVRS) and collaboration with the U.S. Attorney's Office through Project Safe Neighborhoods, which assembled special prosecutors to indict firearm offenses.
Despite decreases, youth violence is still a concern for state officials.
On Feb. 22, a
double shooting near the Mall in Columbia
in Howard County left 16-year-old Michael Robertson dead and 15-year-old Blake McCray injured. McCray later died from his injuries on February 27. The accused shooter, 18-year-old Emmetson Zeah, was already out on bail for previous violent crimes and is now charged with first-degree murder.
On March 4, 2025, a 16-year-old Lansdowne High School student was
shot and killed
after being chased by a gunman onto school property.
Other efforts to reduce youth gun violence have included Jaelynn's Law, which prohibits storing loaded firearms in locations where an unsupervised minor might access them. This month, the Maryland Health Department
announced grant funding
to local jurisdictions to reduce gun violence.
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