Testing It Up

A spokeswoman of Governor Martin O’Malley confirmed Wednesday that Maryland is just a few hours away from joining other U.S. states in legalizing medical marijuana.

Raquel Guillory said O’Malley is scheduled to sign House Bill 1101 at a bill-signing ceremony on May 2. It’s still unclear, though, when the program will take effect.

HB 1101 passed the Senate on April 8 by a vote of 42-4. The bill seeks to establish a 12-member state commission, to be called the Natalie M. LaPrade Medical Marijuana Commission, that will oversee the medical marijuana programs at participating academic research centers.

All academic research centers that have been approved by the commission are required to specify the medical conditions it intends to treat and the criteria by which patients are allowed to participate. They must also specify how patients will be assessed for addiction before and during treatment using marijuana through the program. Furthermore, they must specify the length of treatment, the allowable dosage, as well as the source and type of marijuana to be used in the program.

Dan Riffle, the Deputy Director of Government Relations for the Marijuana Policy Project, told WFMD that the legislation is a step closer to “having evidence-based, rational policies with respect to marijuana.”

“This bill is not about leading to legalization of marijuana for any other purposes,” Riffle added. “It’s about providing medical marijuana to patients whose doctors recommend marijuana in a safe medical place to obtain their medication.”

A bill that seeks to legalize the use of marijuana for medical purposes in Maryland has been passed by the state Senate. We shared with you reports circulating on Friday that the measure will pass the Senate, and they indeed approved the bill on Saturday.

As previously mentioned, though, it will not be an easy – nor a fast – ride for this measure in the House. Two committees have reportedly formed a working group to evaluate a similar bill in the House; while they do support the idea of medical marijuana they would like to put spend more time on the various aspects of a program, including implementation, according to the spokesperson for House Speaker Michael E. Busch, Alexandra Hughes.

Already the proposed medical marijuana legislation for the state of Maryland is being touted as the “best medical marijuana bill in the country.” While it seeks to provide patients in need with safe access to the drug as well as legal protection, it staunchly strives to prevent abuses, as expressed by Sen. Jamie Raskin, a principal sponsor of the bill. Sen. Raskin also encourages House lawmakers to give the bill their support.

The provisions of the bill include close monitoring of production through state-run licensed production centers, licensing of pharmacies for the distribution of the drug, and allowing prescriptions only from doctors who already have an established history for treating a patient and who can justify that all other treatments have not worked before resorting to a marijuana prescription.

Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr. says: “It’s a very important issue and I think the people want it… The bill is very tightly drafted and I think it’s a good start.”