Maryland

Maryland marijuana measure prioritizes social equity

Published

2 years ago

February 4, 2023

Maryland marijuana measure prioritizes social equity

Maryland votes to legalize leisure marijuana

Maryland will now observe within the footsteps of D.C. and Virginia as lawmakers start to look into taxing and regulating marijuana.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Maryland is working towards making a leisure marijuana trade with better social fairness, lawmakers stated Friday, with extra licenses for minority-owned companies and proceeds directed to areas adversely impacted by the battle on medicine.

The measure earlier than the Basic Meeting, which is managed by Democrats, will allow the state’s current medical marijuana companies to promote leisure hashish as effectively — in the event that they pay a brand new payment based mostly on the scale of the enterprise. These companies may start promoting leisure marijuana as quickly as July 1, the soonest leisure hashish can legally be bought within the state.

Supporters burdened that the invoice was based mostly on making a protected market that would assist communities and guarantee minorities would have the chance to enter the trade.

“The objective in Maryland wasn’t to get our Marylanders excessive,” Del. C.T. Wilson, a Democrat who chairs the Maryland Home Financial Issues Committee, stated Friday. “It was to take hashish out of the legal stream of commerce, shield younger Black males from being arrested and dying and, moreover, give again to the communities that have been most disproportionately impacted by the battle on medicine.”

Proposed invoice would make it authorized to own hashish for Maryland resident

District 46 Delegate Luke Clippinger discusses the invoice he sponsored that proposes making it authorized to own hashish for Maryland residents 21 and older.

Minority participation has been a precedence to lawmakers in a state that has change into a majority-minority state, in accordance with the 2020 census. The rollout of Maryland’s medical marijuana trade was strongly criticized for its paucity of minority-owned enterprise participation, and lawmakers pledged to carry better care to a difficulty that has additionally been onerous to resolve in different states.

“I feel on this nation, lower than 2% of hashish individuals are minorities — lower than two,” Wilson stated. “Our objective is to hit 30% inside a yr and a half. We’re going to be representational of Maryland. That’s our objective, to make it possible for we offer entry to all Marylanders, minorities included.”

UNITED STATES – AUGUST 30: Stock together with “Merry N’Berry” is on show on the medical marijuana dispensary Takoma Wellness Middle, in Takoma Park, August 30, 2016. (Photograph By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Name)

New licenses for growers, dispensaries and processors will likely be made obtainable in two completely different rounds.

“The rounds are deliberately constructed for these social fairness candidates to have the ability to take part, after which I might say moreover within the income technology facet, 30% of the revenues will likely be allotted particularly for impacted communities,” Senate President Invoice Ferguson advised reporters throughout a media availability Friday morning.

READ MORE: Marylanders eat extra marijuana than nationwide common

Maryland voters authorised a constitutional modification in November with 67% of the vote to legalize leisure marijuana for folks 21 and over as quickly as July 1. Nevertheless, lawmakers left particulars about regulation, licensing and taxation to be taken up this legislative session. Possession of as much as 1.5 ounces of marijuana will likely be authorized by folks 21 and over.

The measure, which is about 100 pages, features a 6% tax within the subsequent fiscal yr. It will go up 1% every year to most of 10% in fiscal yr 2028. Medical marijuana would stay untaxed.

Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat who’s the state’s first Black governor, additionally has underscored the significance of minority participation within the expanded trade. Final month, he launched about $46 million regarding implementing leisure hashish in Maryland. That included about $40 million for the Hashish Enterprise Help Fund, which is meant to assist the expansion of small, minority, and women-owned companies within the leisure hashish trade.

For the brand new licenses, precedence can be given to minority house owners in communities disproportionately affected when marijuana was unlawful, beneath the laws. To qualify, candidates must have both lived in such a group for 5 to 10 years or attended a public faculty for 5 years in a type of communities, Wilson stated.

Earlier than Maryland and Missouri voters determined to legalize marijuana in November, 19 different states, together with the District of Columbia, had absolutely legalized marijuana. Additionally in November, three different states — Arkansas, North Dakota, and South Dakota— rejected marijuana legalization poll measures.

The Related Press contributed to this story.

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Maryland

No. 8 Maryland women’s basketball vs. William & Mary preview

Published

6 hours ago

December 18, 2024

Press Room

No. 8 Maryland women’s basketball vs. William & Mary preview

No. 8 Maryland women’s basketball is back in action Thursday morning for its annual “Field Trip Day” in College Park.

Xfinity Center will have upwards of 15,000 local school children from 80 schools in the venue to see the Terps take on William & Mary.

“Hopefully the energy will help us,” head coach Brenda Frese said. “I want to soak it all up, the energy is going to be electric in the building. I want to feel that and it’s going to be a great game.”

Tip-off is slated for 11 a.m. on Big Ten Plus in what’s sure to be a raucous atmosphere in College Park.

William & Mary Tribe (3-7, 0-0 CAA)

2023-24 record: 15-14, 12-6 CAA

Head coach Erin Dickerson Davis is in her third season with William & Mary and has led the Tribe to impressive conference records, albeit poor nonconference showings.

William & Mary faces easily its toughest opponent of the season in No. 8 Maryland on Thursday, but no-conference play hasn’t been kind to the Tribe thus far.

Last season, the Tribe turned things around during CAA play and may do the same this year. However, William & Mary’s résumé thus far isn’t great, even in its wins. The Tribe have three victories on the season: Division II Chowan, 5-6 McNeese State and 1-12 South Carolina State.

Players to watch

Bella Nascimento, senior guard, 5-foot-8, No. 5 — Nascimento is in her second season with the Tribe after transferring from Manhattan. She is a prolific scorer, leading the team with 12.6 points per game this season.

Cassidy Geddes, sophomore guard, 5-foot-7, No. 1 — Geddes is in her second season with William & Mary and is averaging 7.7 points for the Tribe this year. She has started every game her sophomore season, but her scoring average has taken a dip after she averaged 9.9 points last season.

Kayla Beckwith, graduate student center, 6-foot-1, No. 3 — Beckwith is in her fifth season with William & Mary and is a Laurel, Maryland, native. This season, she’s averaging 6.4 points and 5.1 rebounds. A long-time member of the Tribe, she’s finally getting her chance to shine as a starter this season.

Strength

Sharing the rock. William & Mary has 134 assists as a team in 10 games this season. That averages out to 13.4 assists per game, while its opponents only average 12.7 assists per game. The Tribe are fifth-best in the CAA in assists per game.

Weakness

Defending the 3-ball. Opponents are 36.5% from beyond the arc against William & Mary this season, while the Tribe are shooting just 24.4% from distance.

Three things to watch

1. The long break’s effect on Maryland’s start. It will be 12 days between contests for Maryland, which will be interesting to see how it effects the team’s start Thursday.

”I think it’s always our intention to come out to a great start,” Frese said. “Hopefully the energy in the building will allow us to do that.”

2. Last nonranked nonconference game. Thursday is Maryland’s second-to-last nonconference game and its last until the Claretta Scott King Classic against No. 6 Texas on Jan. 20. This is the final time Maryland will face a low-major opponent in the regular season.

“[The Terps] know what’s coming out ahead with the conference play, especially having their taste of a game already under their belt,” Frese said. “They’re highly competitive, and they love to win and don’t want to lose. So I think that’s the exciting thing, knowing just how competitive the conference is going to be.”

3. Morning electricity. It is not common that any sport plays an 11 a.m. game on a Thursday, but the Terps have a good reason to do it against William & Mary. The Terps will welcome in around 80 different local schools to support the team and usher in the holiday break.

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Maryland

Mass shooting in Towson, Maryland leaves 1 dead and 9 injured

Published

14 hours ago

December 18, 2024

Press Room

Mass shooting in Towson, Maryland leaves 1 dead and 9 injured

The incident happened at around 7:15 p.m., when officers responded to the 8500 block of Loch Raven Blvd following multiple reports of a shooting, Baltimore County Police Chief Robert McCullough said.

“This is an incident that is shocking, particularly for those of us in Baltimore County,” Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski said. “These types of incidents are really unheard of here, so it really shocks the conscience.”

The first officer to arrive on the scene found a vehicle on its side that had caught fire, Mccullough said.

The Baltimore County Fire Department was called to the scene, where they put out the fire, treated victims and transported them to a hospital, said Baltimore County Fire Department Chief Joseph Dixon.

BCPD believes the shooting was a targeted incident and there is no threat to the public.

BCPD is currently investigating and is asking anyone with information about the shooting to contact them.

The Baltimore County Fire Department and the Baltimore Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are also on the scene assisting police.

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