FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, November 9, 2022
Contact: Violet Cavendish
vcavendish@mpp.org
Annapolis, M.D. — Maryland voters have approved Question 4, a legislatively-referred ballot question to legalize cannabis for adults 21 and over. Maryland is now the 20th state to legalize cannabis for adult use.
“With Marylanders’ overwhelming support of Question 4, the state will finally end the failed era of cannabis prohibition and take a more just and equitable approach towards cannabis policy,” said Olivia Naugle, senior policy analyst at the Marijuana Policy Project. “The passage of Question 4 is a huge victory for criminal justice reform and racial justice in Maryland. It will save thousands of Marylanders from arrests and further criminalization for cannabis possession, and it will begin to repair the decades of harm cannabis prohibition has caused, disproportionately in communities of color, by expunging records and reinvesting back into those communities. We look forward to working closely with Maryland lawmakers to ensure that the implementation of legalization is centered around equity.”
Beginning July 1, 2023, adults will be able to legally possess up to 1.5 ounces of cannabis and cultivate up to two plants in Maryland. A summary of Question 4, and the companion bill to begin implementing it, is available here.
“The result of Maryland's cannabis legalization measure is monumental," said Toi Hutchinson, President and CEO of the Marijuana Policy Project. "With each state that successfully legalizes cannabis, we are one step closer to dismantling the federal prohibition of cannabis.”
In addition to Maryland, there were ballot initiatives to legalize cannabis for adults 21 and over in Arkansas, Missouri, North Dakota, and South Dakota this election. Advocates are awaiting results in the other four states.
MPP led the local coalition that spurred Maryland state lawmakers to refer a legalization question to this year’s ballot and played an instrumental role in assisting the Yes on 4 campaign. The Marijuana Policy Project also led the legalization efforts in North Dakota and South Dakota.
Heading into Election Day, 19 states had legalized cannabis for adults 21 and over, and 37 states had legalized medical cannabis.
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Founded in 1995, the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) is the nation’s leading cannabis policy reform organization. MPP has played a central role in passing dozens of cannabis policy reforms in states across the country, including 14 successful cannabis legalization campaigns, and also works to advance federal reforms.