Opinion: Maryland’s best chance for an equitable cannabis market

Twenty years after the passage of the Darrell Putman Compassionate Use Act (Maryland’s first medical marijuana law), voters passed a ballot measure in the fall to fully legalize marijuana for adult use. Question 4 asked, “Do you favor the legalization of the use of cannabis by an individual who is at least 21 years of age on or after July 1, 2023, in the State of Maryland?” As predicted in a previous op-ed, legalization passed by a 2-1 margin with over 1.3 million votes, making it more popular than any of the state’s constitutional officers. Marylanders overwhelmingly voted to make cannabis legal.