A green fog won’t build above Maryland’s streets on July 1. Swarms of people won’t grip joints or bongs on public sidewalks, nor will they be enveloped in pungent smoke. For many, it will just be a Saturday. But the date will mark a historical and pivotal occasion. Cannabis, long ostracized from public society and formally categorized alongside drugs such as heroin, will be legal in Maryland for the first time in modern history.

Over 23 years ago, when I ran for Congress, I emphasized three key issues on the campaign trail. One was banning handguns, which Republicans turned into “common sense gun control,” which has morphed into nothingness. Another was increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour — a living wage then, but where are we today with 23 years of inflation behind us?

Several years ago, I was loitering outside a committee hearing room with one of the most influential lobbyists in the alcohol beverage industry. Knowing we were both there for a bill that would have authorized wineries across the country to ship their products directly to Maryland consumers, I asked the gentleman to predict the outcome.

There is a memorial by the water in Annapolis: five granite pillars bounded by a curving brick wall. Most days, people walk past without giving it much more than a glance. Wednesday will be different. The city will host a morning ceremony at the Guardians of the First Amendment memorial, marking five years since journalists Rob Hiaasen, Wendi Winters, Gerald Fischman, John McNamara and Rebecca Smith were killed in the Capital Gazette newsroom.

ChatGPT, its GPT-4 iteration and the broader advancement of generative AI are raising the stakes for companies that are expected to incorporate this technology. CEOs, boards and top executives in such a spot should step back and meet the challenge with a big picture approach that systematizes a set of proven strategies. AI as the next competitive weapon for business relevancy, and profitability means companies must transform from digital enterprises to intelligent enterprises.

A 120-room extended-stay hotel will soon be the latest addition to the sprawling Metro Centre development in Owings Mills. Officials with developer David S. Brown Enterprises said Monday the firm expects to break ground on the Element by Westin this summer. The five-story luxury hotel will be built as part of the second phase of the 45-acre, $1 billion Metro Centre in an area that today is a flat-surface parking lot near Painters Mill Road.

A recent report from from The Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions found that about a third of U.S. gun homicides involved heavy drinking — on the part of the perpetrator, the victim, or both — and a quarter of suicides also involved alcohol misuse. Heavy use of alcohol is also a strong predictor of future violence, researchers found.

More than one month after Baltimore City officials unveiled a plan to enforce a youth curfew, not a single child has been taken to what officials are calling a Youth Connection Center. Bryan Doherty, a spokesman for Mayor Brandon Scott’s office, said that shows that the city’s outreach efforts are working. But Doherty declined to say how many youth have been found in violation of the curfew or to specify how exactly officials are engaging with young people.

Maryland college programs do a poor job preparing new teachers with the necessary skills to teach their students to read, according to the findings of a review from research nonprofit the National Council on Teacher Quality. For the review, released June 13, the organization analyzed almost 700 college teaching programs across the country, looking at how well they did at educating prospective elementary school teachers on how to teach reading.

The Montgomery County Council unanimously voted June 20 to cap the county’s development impact tax rate for transportation and public school improvement at 20%. The tax is placed on new development projects in the county to help provide more funding for transportation and public school improvement projects. The council was required by county law to vote on a cap for the increase after the county’s director of finance, Michael Coveyou, published new impact tax rates as of May 1. The county’s impact tax rate is adjusted yearly based on inflation, in keeping with county law.