With no votes to spare, the Baltimore County Council advanced a proposed charter amendment Monday that will let voters decide whether to increase the size of the council from seven to nine members.

As a proposed amendment to the county charter, the proposal needed a supermajority of five votes to pass. Council Chairman Izzy Patoka, along with Councilmen Todd Crandell, Mike Ertel, Wade Kach and David Marks voted for the measure. Councilman Pat Young was the sole no vote, and Councilman Julian Jones, who had previously expressed reservations about the measure, was not present.

“Tonight was a historic moment,” said Patoka, who sponsored the measure. “It will create opportunity for the county council to better reflect the demographics of Baltimore County.”

The current council is all male, with six white members and one African American.

Young, a Democrat who represents southwestern Baltimore County, argued that the council should be expanded to 11 members instead of nine, saying that would increase the likelihood of getting a more diverse council.

“Over time, there is a resounding theme,” Young said. “We have been historically, with painfully few exceptions, a very white and very male council.”

But Crandell, a Republican who represents the southeastern part of the county, called Young’s proposal little more than a Democratic power grab.

“We have to cut through the crap here. This is about politics. This is about the Democratic Party doing what they do in Maryland, trying to grab more power on the Baltimore County Council,” said Crandell of the 11-member council proposal.

Ertel, whose district includes parts of Towson, Parkville, Rosedale and Middle River, said expanding the size of the council is long overdue.

“We’ve had seven council districts since 1956.  Our needs are greater than ever, our infrastructure has a lot of challenges, and we believe that expanding the council would give a little breathing room in the sense of council members being able to serve their districts a little better,” Ertel said.

Meanwhile, organizers of a voter-backed drive are pushing for a separate initiative that would add four members to the council. The Vote4More campaign has until July 19 to submit at least 10,000 valid voters’ signatures to the county board of elections to get their proposal on the November ballot.

In a statement Monday, County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. applauded the council’s decision “to answer our call to empower voters and allow them to make their voices heard on expanding the county council to provide a more responsive and equitable government.”

The council’s proposed charter amendment also calls for reclassifying the job of a council member from a part-time to a full-time position. The Personnel and Salary Board Commission is expected to review council salaries next year to decide whether to increase the current salary of $69,000 or keep it the same. The council will be able to approve or reduce the commission’s recommendation, but cannot increase it.

In other action, the council overrode Olszewski’s veto of a measure that would limit residential development in areas where public schools are already overcrowded. Supporters of that bill say the measure is needed to curtail huge development projects in parts of the county where schools are over-capacity.

Even though they voted to override the veto, council members also agreed to enact a companion bill that would create a committee to closely review large, development projects.

Following the vote, Olszewski issued a statement calling the measure “deeply flawed.”

“The introduction of a Band-Aid bill to address concerns that we, and countless others, have raised a curious and convoluted approach to addressing the flaws associated with the original legislation,” his statement said.

“Nonetheless, we encourage the council to use this ‘do-over’ as a renewed opportunity to engage with BCPS (Baltimore County Public Schools) leadership and housing advocates to responsibly address school overcrowding while also meeting our moral and legal obligations to expand access to attainable housing,” Olszewski’s statement said.

The Office of Governor Wes Moore issued the following news release on Monday, July 1, 2024:

“Governor Wes Moore today announced the launch of Maryland SUN Bucks, a new program to help families buy groceries for eligible school-aged children during the summer months. Building on the state’s existing Summer Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) program, Maryland SUN Bucks will serve a record 543,000 children across the state through more than $60 million in new funding from the federal government.

“During the summer, many children lose the free and reduced-price meals they receive at school, and households may need help putting food on the table. Our administration is here to help fill that gap,” said Gov. Moore. “Tackling childhood poverty requires consistent, targeted action so all Marylanders can stay healthy as they play, grow, and learn. The launch of Maryland SUN Bucks marks one such action – and it won’t be the last.”

Maryland SUN Bucks builds upon Maryland’s existing Summer SNAP program and expands the reach six-fold. Families in all of Maryland’s 24 jurisdictions are now able to receive benefits and local government matching funds are no longer required.

“There isn’t a single jurisdiction in Maryland that isn’t interested in helping fight childhood poverty. Maryland SUN Bucks extends food security provided by school meals to summertime; and it represents the single largest investment Maryland has seen to help feed our children,” said Maryland Department of Human Services Secretary Rafael López. “We are grateful for our partners in the state legislature and the Biden Administration for working with us to make sure Maryland’s children do not experience hunger.”

Households that qualify for the Maryland SUN Bucks program will receive $40 each month in June, July, and August—totaling $120—to buy food for each eligible student. Benefits may be used at authorized retailers, including grocery stores and farmers markets.

Up to 90% of eligible Maryland families will receive the benefits automatically, though some parents will need to apply. For families receiving SNAP benefits, Maryland SUN Bucks will be automatically applied to the head-of-household’s Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card. If a child does not receive SNAP, a white Maryland SUN Bucks card will be issued in the child’s name.

Maryland SUN Bucks is in addition to free meals that kids of all ages can get at summer meal sites in their communities.

“For many children, schools are lifelines to regular and nutritious meals. Maryland SUN Bucks will improve access to healthy food options during the summer months,” said State Superintendent of Schools Dr. Carey M. Wright. “This innovative partnership connects families to a basic resource at a critical time.”

For more information is available at dhs.maryland.gov/sunbucks or 1-800-332-6347.”

BALTIMORE — Maryland raked in more than $14 million in taxes for marijuana sales within the first three months alone this year, and sales are growing as the state marks the first anniversary of legal recreational cannabis use.

The high life is good for Connor Whelton, who is one of the founders and CEO of ReLeaf, a marijuana dispensary on Cathedral Street in Baltimore. 

“First of all, I had a passion for the product, and I come from a time when it was heavily stigmatized,” Whelton said. “The use of this equaled you not being successful, and I wanted to challenge those misconceptions because I was meeting really fine people who used the product.”

Meeting consumers where they are

Whelton’s team came up with innovative ways to get the product to customers, from home deliveries to a walk-up window—or you can just browse the menu in the store. 

“I saw this incredible opportunity coming to Maryland and quickly went to work on it, and it feels like the blink of an eye later here we are,” he said. 

As the stigma over marijuana use wanes, Whelton is seeing a new customer base. 

“We are definitely seeing more first-time users, which is creating this infectious enthusiasm for people who come in and are just appreciative of being here, Whelton told WJZ. “And you’re also seeing more acceptance of people who would normally have never tried this as an option. Where they had surgery on their ankle, they’re not going to use an opioid. They’re going to try some gummies and see how that makes them feel.”

With recreational marijuana now legal in 24 states, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is moving to reclassify the drug to a less dangerous category under the Controlled Substances Act.

This comes as daily marijuana users now outnumber daily drinkers for the first time ever, according to a report from researchers at Carnegie Mellon University. 

The change in preference is largely being driven by young people. 

Of people aged 18 to 24, 69% prefer marijuana to alcohol, according to a 2022 survey by New Frontier Data, a cannabis research firm.

One year later In Maryland 

Maryland legalized recreational use on July 1st, 2023. 

The excitement caused some to line up in anticipation, and the state has already seen recreational outpace medical cannabis purchases. 

“From last July until the end of May, the industry has done about $1 billion in sales. Now, we can confidently say this is a billion-dollar market,” Whelton said. 

Following the money

In April alone, the state recorded $63 million in recreational sales compared to $30 million in medical out of a total $462 million in overall sales so far this year. 

From January through March, Maryland collected $14.6 million in sales taxes, according to the comptroller’s office. 

The D.C. region is responsible for the biggest chunk, $6.7 million, followed by the Baltimore region at $3.7 million.

More than $4 million will be reinvested in lower-income neighborhoods most impacted by the War on Drugs. 

“We view it as one of the most successful market launches in the ten-year history of legal cannabis sales. Maryland sales have more than doubled since the adult-use market was launched,” said Ben Burstein, from Leaf Link, which runs a wholesale marketplace.

Retail prices In Maryland

Burstein said retail prices tend to be a bit higher in Maryland. The state dashboard says the median price per gram is $9.64.

“Back last summer, Maryland had the highest prices per unit in the entire country…That’s started to come down, but it’s still relatively high compared to most states,” Burstein said. “As you get more capacity, prices are going to continue to decline.”

Governor Moore’s pardons

Maryland recently made national headlines when Governor Wes Moore pardoned more than 175,000 people convicted of low-level possession charges. 

They included Shiloh Jordan, who lost his job at the time, but has since picked himself back up. 

“It felt crazy because I was like I’m not even a criminal, I could see if I was a bad guy doing bad stuff, but I’m like, this isn’t even my MO,” Jordan told CBS News. “…I felt defeated at the time…but when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Now I’m here. I made lemonade.”

A program even aims to help those once convicted get jobs in the cannabis industry.

Equity in cannabis 

The state made equity a centerpiece of its licensing. 

Maryland became the first state in the nation to open a cannabis licensing round exclusively for qualifying social equity applicants in all license types. 

“Maryland is issuing social equity licenses. You have 150 stories that are going to come online,” Burstein said. “You have stores in all the major metro areas. You have pretty good coverage of the rural areas. In Maryland today, you have a state that’s No. 9 in total sales across the U.S. that’s only going to continue growing.”

New competition 

Whelton welcomes the competition as more dispensaries open. 

“That competition is a healthy competition because of the numbers,” Whelton said. “As a result, the product quality that you’re getting here is very high compared to some other states. Some states have so many licenses that nobody is making it, and the quality of product suffers or taxes are so high that you can’t overcome that and pay for keeping the doors open.”

Whelton said many licenses are operated by people who left other lives “to pour themselves into this, and it is complicated and challenging.”

He’s in it for the long haul as Maryland’s recreational cannabis industry celebrates a milestone first anniversary with high expectations for the future. 

“I wouldn’t say anyone has necessarily made it yet. We are making it. We are working on it actively, but again we are big believers in what Maryland is doing,” Whelton said.