Eight months after Maryland voters overwhelmingly approved a referendum to legalize recreational cannabis, a new law kicks in on Saturday that allows adults 21 and up to purchase the federally banned drug, possess small amounts of it and even grow it.
Maryland
Cannabis, drones, taxes: New laws take effect July 1 in the DMV
Meanwhile, in the District, the minimum wage will increase from $16.10 per hour to $17.00 per hour for all workers beginning July 1. The minimum wage for tipped workers will also increase, jumping from $6 per hour to $8 per hour, thanks to Initiative 82, a city ballot measure approved in November. In Virginia, solitary confinement will be all but eliminated in state prisons, new restrictions will limit drone activity, dentists will receive new powers to fight wrinkles and police will have more authority to combat civil arrest, among other laws that take effect Saturday.
Maryland joins the District and Virginia to become the 20th state in the country to legalize recreational cannabis for adult use. But unlike in the region, Maryland has set up a market that allows people 21 years old and older to purchase cannabis from medical cannabis businesses that have paid a conversion fee to participate in the new recreational market.
Under the rules, adults can possess up to 1.5 ounces and grow up to two marijuana plants out of public view. Penalties for smoking marijuana in public are increased to $250 for the first offense and $500 for the second, but under a measure designed to ensure that marijuana use does not continue to be criminalized among Black and Brown people, police officers cannot initiate a search based solely on the smell of cannabis. The new law passed at voters’ behest also allows for the state to collect a 9 percent tax on cannabis sales, which is the amount levied for alcohol.
Also in Maryland, starting this weekend, drivers will pay 47 cents on a gallon of gas — up from 42.7 cents — as part of a 2013 bill that tied the gas tax to inflation. This year’s increase amounts to a 10 percent jump.
While Marylanders will pay more at the gas pump, military veterans will pony up a little less in taxes, and some members of the U.S. National Guard will get small reimbursements for health care costs under a handful of bills proposed by Gov. Wes Moore (D) in his first legislative session.
Military retirees who are 55 or older can exempt the first $20,000 of military income, up from $15,000, and some National Guard members can be repaid up to $60 for monthly health care premiums.
Moore’s other bills that take effect Saturday provide incentives to address the teacher shortage, and target so-called banking deserts in low- and moderate-income communities where residents do not have access to banks and credit unions.
Maryland’s next budget, as a result of several new laws, will allocate $12 million for the state’s suicide helpline, $5 million to help beef up security at nonprofit organizations, including faith-based facilities, to protect against hate crimes, and increase the pot for film tax credits to $15 million — up from $12 million — in an attempt to lure more television and film productions to the state.
In the District, an emergency measure passed by the D.C. Council that caps new rent increases in rent-stabilized apartments also takes effect Saturday. Rather than a nearly 9 percent increase, the council moved to limit property owners from raising rents by more than 6 percent starting July 1 and 12 percent cumulatively over the next two years. Those caps would be lower for seniors and for those with disabilities, at 4 percent this year and 8 percent total over the next two years.
And starting July 1, Good Hope Road SE, between Anacostia Drive SE, and Alabama Avenue SE, will be named Marion Barry Avenue SE — after the four-term former mayor, as a result of legislation the D.C. Council passed in April. D.C. will reissue business licenses, driver’s licenses and professional licenses free to residents and businesses impacted by the change, starting Saturday.
In Virginia, the Democratic-controlled Senate and Republican-led House put a host of new, relatively modest laws on the books but failed to advance far-reaching goals on contentious issues such as abortion and gun rights.
They approved measures that expand what costs can be counted toward child-support obligations, nudge gun owners to store their firearms in safes and ban foreign adversaries from buying farmland that, at least in the past decade, they haven’t actually been buying.
The new law that will prohibit the use of solitary confinement in Virginia prisons comes with exceptions. The Corrections Department had already banned solitary confinement, but it still uses “restorative” confinement in cases when inmates need to be kept apart from the general population, at times for the safety of the inmate or others. The new law requires that every inmate be offered at least four hours a day outside the cell. It also sets out requirements for checking on the health of such inmates and transferring them back to a regular cell.
Another new law allows local police chiefs or other top law-enforcement officials to enact a curfew during a civil disturbance. The curfew cannot be extended or renewed after 24 hours unless by order of the local governing body or a judge.
While there was no appetite in the House or governor’s mansion to enact gun control, Republicans went along with a Democrat’s bill to encourage gun owners to purchase safes for their firearms. The law provides a tax credit for up to $300 for the buyer. Democrats, meanwhile, agreed to a measure to allow the owners of switchblades to carry them in a concealed fashion. But at the same time, stiletto knives were added to the list of prohibited concealed weapons.
Another new law will prohibit foreign adversaries from buying agricultural land. The legislature passed the measure at the behest of Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), a potential 2024 presidential candidate who claimed early this year that China was trying to buy farmland near the state’s military bases.
Similar warnings have been made by leading GOP White House candidates, including former president Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. The only major purchase in Virginia was a decade ago, when the Hong Kong-based conglomerate WH Group, which is not owned by the Chinese government, bought Smithfield Foods. Youngkin accepted a $30,000 Smithfield donation in January 2022 for his inaugural committee.
The governor had less success with another measure popular with the GOP base: abortion. Even in the Republican-led House, Youngkin’s bill seeking to ban the procedure after 15 weeks, with exceptions, never got a hearing in an election year that will put all 100 seats in the House and all 40 in the Senate on the ballot this fall. But both parties got behind a measure meant to provide new mothers with better financial support. The new law allows a parent seeking child support to seek help with expenses related to and delivery, not just costs incurred after birth.
Another addition to the code raises the amount jurors are paid from $30 a day to $50. A pair of new laws is intended to rein in the use of drones around homes and prisons. One prohibits the use of drones to spy through the windows or doors of homes. Another prohibits drones from flying over state and local correctional facilities without consent. Officials say the drones have been used to drop contraband.
Virginia dentists will be allowed to treat wrinkles as well as teeth under a new law that lets them administer botulinum toxin injections, commonly known as Botox, for cosmetic purposes. Already permitted to administer the injections for pain relief, dentists will need to complete special training. While the law takes effect July 1, dentists cannot offer cosmetic procedures until the state Board of Dentistry creates related regulations, a process that will take a minimum of 18 months.
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Maryland
How to watch Michigan State vs. Maryland (9/7/24): TV channel, kickoff time, live stream
Michigan State got the job done in its season opener, but it wasn’t pretty as it hung on at home against Florida Atlantic. Now, it has to head on the road to open Big Ten play in what promises to be a tougher test.
· Watch the Michigan State Spartans on FuboTV (free trial)
· Watch the Michigan State Spartans on Sling
· Watch the Michigan State Spartans on DirecTV Stream
· Visit MLive’s Betting Home for latest odds & sportsbook promos
Michigan State is 1-0, but the road gets tougher now. The Spartans go on the road and start Big Ten play early in Week 2 with a trip to Maryland. The Terrapins have a new look this year without quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa but looked strong in their season-opener against Howard last week.
· Who: Michigan State at Maryland
· When: 3:30 p.m.
· Where: SECU Stadium, College Park, Maryland
· Twitter: Follow Matt Wenzel
· Live updates: Beginning at 2:30 p.m. at mlive.com/spartans
· Latest line: Maryland -9.5
TV Network: Big Ten Network
Streaming options:
· FuboTV is offering $30 off the first month for all U.S. plans. Sign up to get your favorite TV shows, live sports events, and much more
· Sling currently has an offer of $20 for the first month of subscription and has streaming coverage of live sports, news and entertainment.
· DirecTV Stream offers live sports, news and on demand TV.
Five must-reads before kickoff:
* Michigan State lost two members of its secondary, Dillon Tatum and Khalil Majeed, to long-term injuries in its season opener. The team is turning to some new faces to fill in the holes from those injuries.
* Alex VanSumeren was once Michigan State’s top-rated recruit, but he’s been seldom seen on the field due to injuries. Now, though, he’s healthy and making his mark on the Spartans’ defensive line.
* Aidan Chiles’ 10-completion, two-interception performance in Michigan State’s season-opener was his “floor,” according to offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren, who has a plan to improve the quarterback’s performance going forward.
* Jonathan Smith had a name for Week 1 in college football: overreaction Saturday. He’s cautioning fans not to put too much stock into an opening performance that likely underwhelmed many.
* The run game and discipline are two of Matt Wenzel’s five things to watch in this week’s matchup.
Michigan State
* Passing: Aidan Chiles 10-14, 114 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT
* Rushing: Kay’ron Lynch-Adams 9 rush, 101 yards, 1 TD
* Receiving: Michael Masunas 2 rec., 29 yards, 0 TD
* Tackles: Angelo Grose 12
* Sacks: Khris Bogle 1.5
* Interceptions: Grose, Nikai Martinez 1
Maryland
* Passing: Billy Edwards Jr. 20-27, 311 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT
* Rushing: Roman Hemby 14 rush, 66 yards, 1 TD
* Receiving: Tai Felton 7 rec., 178 yards, 2 TD
* Tackles: Glendon Miller 6
* Sacks: None
* Interceptions: Ruben Hyppolite II, Miller 1
Friday, Sept. 6
Western Illinois at Indiana
Duke at Northwestern
Saturday, Sept. 7
Texas at Michigan, noon (FOX)
Rhode Island at Minnesota, noon (Peacock)
Bowling Green at Penn State, noon (BTN)
Akron at Rutgers, noon (BTN)
Iowa State at Iowa, 3:30 p.m. (CBS)
Michigan State at Maryland, 3:30 p.m. (BTN)
Eastern Michigan at Washington, 3:30 p.m. (BTN)
South Dakota at Wisconsin, 3:30 p.m. (FS1)
Kansas at Illinois, 7 p.m. (FS1)
Colorado at Nebraska, 7:30 p.m. (NBC)
Western Michigan at Ohio State, 7:30 p.m. (BTN)
Boise State at Oregon, 10 p.m. (Peacock)
Maryland
Pre-Snap Read: Michigan State vs Maryland
![Pre-Snap Read: Michigan State vs Maryland Pre-Snap Read: Michigan State vs Maryland](https://on3static.com/uploads/dev/assets/cms/2024/09/06191517/tunnel.jpg)
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Michigan State has an excellent chance to make a strong statement this weekend that the rebuilding job under new head coach Jonathan Smith is ahead of schedule, if the Spartans can take down 8-point favorite Maryland on Saturday.
A Michigan State victory would be a strong statement within the football industry, but maybe not as strong from a fan perspective. I’m not sure Maryland’s football brand is as respected in the state of Michigan and regionally as it should be, for a program that has gone 8-5 in the past two seasons and defeated Auburn and North Carolina State in bowl games the past two years.
Maryland is good. The Terrapins are coming off a 50-7 victory over a weak UConn team last week. Maryland’s offense looked very good against a weak, soft, conservative UConn defense.
Michigan State’s defense was ahead of schedule last week against a mediocre Florida Atlantic offense. Michigan State’s offense was behind schedule, experiencing inconsistent accuracy and decision-making at the quarterback position, which was somewhat understandable considering it was sophomore Aidan Chiles’ first start as a college player. MSU’s running game also lacked consistency, especially in short yardage and in the red zone.
The big news from Maryland last week in my opinion was the excellent play of new starting quarterback Billy Edwards. The 6-foot-3, 222-pound redshirt-junior had waited behind the outgoing, record-breaking Taulia Tagovailoa for three years. Tagovailoa left Maryland as the Big Ten’s all-time passing leader. He went undrafted and is now playing in the CFL.
Edwards looked good last week. He’s strong in the pocket, is a physical ball carrier on designed runs or scrambles. He was accurate over the middle on intermediate routes, and seemed to do a good job processing coverages, although UConn’s coverages were simple, slow and soft.
I saw this Michigan State vs Maryland game as a swing game on the schedule prior to the season. But considering how well Edwards and his receivers looked last week, and Michigan State’s sputtering start on offense, this game goes from being a swing game to uphill slog for the Spartans.
Maryland
Student shot in Joppatowne, Maryland high school
![Student shot in Joppatowne, Maryland high school Student shot in Joppatowne, Maryland high school](https://media.nbcwashington.com/2024/09/image-50-1.png?resize=1200%2C675&quality=85&strip=all)
One teen shot another during a dispute in a Maryland high school bathroom Friday in what authorities called an isolated incident.
The victim, a 15-year-old student at Joppatowne High School, was in serious condition after being airlifted to a hospital, the Harford County Public Schools said in a news release, citing information it received from the county sheriff’s department.
A 16-year-old student whom police identified as the shooter fled shortly afterward but was caught minutes later nearby, according to the news release. Officials said no information would be released immediately about the weapon, which had not been recovered.
The state’s attorney has said the suspect will be charged, the release said, citing Harford County Sheriff Jeff Gahler.
Shortly after the shooting, the sheriff’s office asked people to avoid the area, but emphasized that the confrontation was an “isolated incident, not an active shooter.” A parent-student reunification center was established at a nearby church. More than 100 personnel responded to the high school about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northeast of Baltimore, Gahler said.
The fight happened two days after a shooter whom authorities identified as a 14-year-old student killed four people at a high school outside Atlanta. Wednesday’s attack renewed debate about safe storage laws for guns and had parents wondering how to talk to their children about school shootings and trauma.
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