By Jamone Davis
After a long journey of debates and heated discussions, the Maryland Senate voted 35-12 to pass SB 627, a bill that would allow people who fit the requirements to receive medical marijuana from their doctors. People who are caught with 10 grams or less of marijuana would receive a citation and/or be fined without the incident going on their record.
The bill is set to take effect in October this year. It does not make paraphernalia legal by any means and any officer that pulls someone over that smells weed has probable cause to search the vehicles.
Now, some delegates felt different about this new law. In no way, shape or form do they feel this new law is acceptable.
“House of Delegates, you can do better. Our people deserve better. Our kids deserve a better message, and this is not it,” said Del. Michael McDermott, a representative of Somerset County.
What message is this bill actually sending to the students still...
By Alexa Franklin
To what degree will Maryland’s new laws involving the decriminalization and legal medical use of marijuana affect businesses, prospective employees, and drug policies and testing in Frederick County? Probably less than you think.
Starting October 2014, the use or possession of 10 grams of marijuana or fewer will be decriminalized and will instead be considered a civil offense. Offenders will be subject to a fine of up to $100 for a first offense. For a second offense, the fine jumps up to $250. The fine can be up to $500 for subsequent offenses.
In addition, marijuana has been approved for medicinal use for patients suffering from nausea, seizures, severe pain, and muscle spasms, and will be sold at licensed dispensaries.
The employee handbook for the City of Frederick states that the city holds a drug and alcohol-free workplace policy, which applies to all employees who work for the city.
Donna Kuzemchak, of Frederick’s Board of Aldermen, said in a video interview that...
By Erin Droneburg
Beginning in October 2014, Maryland will decriminalize use or possession of up to ten grams of marijuana. This offense will be lowered from a criminal offense to a civil offense.
Any person who is found with a decriminalized quantity of marijuana will be issued a civil citation. The citation will come with a monetary penalty, all of which will be allotted to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
The law will bring a good deal of change for the state as a whole, especially within law enforcement agencies.
Captain Tim Clarke of the Frederick County Sheriff’s Department says that the new law will alter the way that deputies carry out drug-related responses. He also points out areas of the bill that are not specific enough, which make adapting agency procedures more difficult.
One change will change current conditions that provide probable cause for conducting searches.
Now, Clarke says, the odor of burnt marijuana is probable cause to search for drugs; with the...
By: Lloyd Thompson-Taylor
Maryland’s decision to decriminalize marijuana and approve medical marijuana usage has led to questions among Hood students about campus policy changes.
The new law has not legalized marijuana but has simply made the offense of having it less severe. Persons caught with less than 10 grams will be fined. rather than facing criminal prosecution.
Also,medical dispensaries and licensed cultivators are now permitted to distribute synthetic marijuana to prescribed patients.
Student reaction to the changes and the possibility of legalization of marijuana vary. Strong reactions exist on both sides of the legalization issue but most students are waiting to hear more.
“I don’t think weed should be legalized,” Cayleigh Wolf, a junior, said. “There are much more productive ways for people to spend their time.”
Wolf is studying to be a teacher and also had concerns on the effect that current and future legislation might have on her teenage students. She worries about the educational aspect of drug prevention programming in schools.
Other students do...
By Tatyanna Hunter
Frederick delegates recently voted on two important matters relating to marijuana.
The two important matters are medical marijuana and decriminalization of marijuana. For the legalization of medical marijuana, the House had 126 people voting yea, 10 who voted nay, two who did not vote, and three absent from voting.
For the legalization of medical marijuana, the Senate had 44 people voting yea, two who voted nay, and one who did not vote. For the decriminalization of marijuana, the House had 78 people who voted yea, 55 who voted nay, and eight who were absent.
For the decriminalization of marijuana, the Senate had 34 people who voted yea, eight who voted nay, and five who did not vote.
Delegate Clagett voted for decriminalization and he voted for medical marijuana. Delegate Schultz voted for medical marijuana and against decriminalization.
Delegate Hough voted against decriminalization and against medical marijuana. Delegate Brinkely voted for decriminalization and for medical marijuana.
Delegate Hogan voted for medical marijuana and against decriminalization....
Lanee Higgins, the president of the Black Student Union of Hood College, believes the bill will decrease a racially-biased system of law enforcement in Maryland.
“I think with the decriminalization of marijuana, you won’t see as many police cars riding through neighborhoods looking to frisk people, just to arrest them, just to get the numbers up, just to discriminate against them,” she said.
Many civil rights organizations including the American Civil Liberties Union indicate that the “War on Drugs” and particularly the illegality of marijuana possession, has had a negative effect on the black community.
According to a report by the ACLU, a Black person was about 4 times more likely than a White person to be arrested for marijuana in Maryland despite marijuana use by Blacks and Whites being almost equal. In 2010, Maryland had the seventh highest amount of arrests for marijuana possession and the fourth highest arrest rate marijuana possession in the country.
“The prohibition of marijuana has led to both...
By: Samantha Helmold
Medicinal marijuana is known to help cases where epilepsy is a problem. It is known to calm the disorder and make it where the seizures don’t reoccur often. In attempts to find solutions for such serious conditions, two mothers work diligently to help their children out in the best way possible.
Epilepsy is a brain disorder in which a person has repeated seizures (convulsions) over time. Seizures are episodes of disturbed brain activity that cause changes in attention or behavior.
Shannon Moore, mother of 3½ year old twins, both suffer from a rare condition known as Miller-Dieker Syndrome, where they have upwards of 100 seizures a day, which is characterized by a pattern of abnormal brain developments known as lissencephaly, which means smooth brain, which is a rare condition that is caused from lack of development.
“I started to notice that something wasn’t exactly right when they were 4 months old.” Moore said, “Nicolas did a repetitive motion with his arm...
By Stacey Axler
When Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley signed the decriminalization of marijuana bill into law on April 14, the Frederick City Police began to strategize on how to battle underage marijuana use in the city.
Though possession of a small amount of marijuana is decriminalized along with the access to medical marijuana for adult use, the Frederick City Police department strives to educate city residents on safe uses of the drug and continue drug education programs for local youths.
The Drug Enforcement Unit hopes to alter the enforcement policies they use for vendors that target tobacco and alcohol to minors to include a policy on marijuana, but currently do not have any plans to combat only marijuana.
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Administrators of the Frederick County Drug Treatment Court program said they are opposed to the recent decriminalization of marijuana in Maryland, fearing the message it sends and the effects on young people.
About 75 percent of participants in the program have used marijuana, said program coordinator Paul Wolford.
“It’s a gateway, what people first started using,” he said.
Wolford said he fears that marijuana causes delays in brain development, as the frontal lobe is not developed until the early to mid-20s.
“My biggest fear for relaxation of marijuana laws is the dumbing down of a generation of good people,” he said. “It’s not a risk I’m comfortable taking, but I don’t make the policy.”
Mickey Stenger, the resource specialist for the drug court, said he thinks decriminalization will affect the program and crime in a negative way.
“Marijuana was already accessible, now it’s even worse,” he said.
He referred to the fact that almost every person that’s gone through Drug Court began using drugs through marijuana and...