Welcome
The Legalized Cannabis Organization of Maryland is a website for ending the prohibition of cannabis in the state of Maryland. This website provides all the latest cannabis -related news from around the state and country, information on local chapters , upcoming events and most importantly how you can become involved in making Maryland a pioneer of Cannabis law reform. But for now please bear with on going construction. Rome was not built in a day.
Recent News
11/06/2009-Residents of the Colorado ski town of Breckenridge overwhelmingly voted to legalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana Tuesday. The measure passed with 73% of the vote.That means as of January 1, people in Breckenridge can legally possess up to an ounce of marijuana under local ordinance. The measure also legalizes the possession of marijuana paraphernalia.
10/19/2009 - New Website Launch
On 10/19/2009, we launched our new website to help lead the reform in Maryland 's marijuana laws. We invite you to take a look around the website and tell your friends to come see us too by using our new Spread the Word website tool.
05/22/2003 - Maryland became the ninth state to legalize the medical use of marijuana. Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. signed a bill (which went into effect on October 1, 2003), that applies to defendants possessing less than one ounce of marijuana and who can prove they used marijuana out of medical necessity and with a doctor's recommendation. Under Maryland's medical marijuana law, patients are protected from a criminal record and possible imprisonment. The maximum penalty for possession of marijuana by a patient with a valid doctor's recommendation is $100. Ehrlich, the first Republican governor to sign a bill relaxing penalties for medicinal use of marijuana, signed the measure despite intense pressure from the Bush administration to veto it.
Recently, Frederick County Circuit Court Judge John H. Tisdale granted "probation before judgment" to a woman charged with marijuana possession. A letter from the woman's physician proved her medical necessity both to the court and to the assistant state's attorney. The medical marijuana patient was then granted one year of probation and was not fined. Under Maryland law, if she avoids legal trouble for the duration of her probation, the charges will be dropped entirely. If, however, she violates her probation, the maximum penalty for her medical marijuana use remains at $100, with no possible jail time.
SUMMARY: Maryland's legislature passed a medical marijuana affirmative defense law in 2003. This law requires the court to consider a defendant's use of medical marijuana to be a mitigating factor in marijuana-related state prosecution. If the patient, post-arrest, successfully makes the case at trial that his or her use of marijuana is one of medical necessity, then the maximum penalty allowed by law would be a $100 fine.
MEDICAL MARIJUANA STATUTES: Maryland Darnell Putman Compassionate Use Act, §5-601(3)(II) (2003).