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Maryland lawmakers to push for recreational marijuana

By Ovetta Wiggins and Fenit Nirappil, The Washington Post

A group of Democratic lawmakers in Maryland want the state to join a growing number of others that have legalized marijuana for recreational use, taxing and regulating sales of the drug similar to the way the state deals with alcohol.

Legislators said Monday that adults aged 21 and older in Maryland would be able to possess and grow limit amounts of marijuana if the two bills sponsored by Sen. Richard Madaleno, D-Montgomery, Del. Curt Anderson, D-Baltimore, and Del. Mary Washington, D-Baltimore, are approved.

“This legislation will effectively end the failed policy of cannabis prohibition in Maryland and replace it with a much more sensible system,” Madelno said of the legalization and regulation bills he will introduce later this week. “It establishes a thoughtful regulatory scheme and tax structure based on best practices and lessons learned from other states.”

Under the regulation bill, the state would license and regulate marijuana retail stores, manufacturers, testing and cultivation facilities. The tax bill would enact an excise tax of $30 per ounce, paid by cultivators, and a 9 percent sales tax on retail marijuana sales.