By CARLA K. JOHNSON (AP Medical Writer) For the first time, the number of Americans who use marijuana just about every day has surpassed the number who drink that often, a shift some 40 years in the making as recreational pot use became more mainstream and legal in nearly half of U.S. states. In 2022, an estimated 17.7 million people reported using marijuana daily or near-daily compared to 14.7 million daily or near-daily drinkers, according an analysis of national survey data. In 1992, when daily pot use hit a low point, less than 1 million people said they used marijuana nearly every day. Al ..read more

Starting June 1, recreational cannabis can be sold in Carroll County. The Board of Carroll County Commissioners voted 3-2 at their meeting Thursday to change the county’s zoning code to allow businesses with state licenses to sell recreational marijuana within county boundaries. District 2 Commissioner Ken Kiler, District 3 Commissioner Thomas Gordon III and District 5 Commissioner Ed Rothstein voted in favor, while District 1 Commissioner Joe Vigliotti and District 4 Commissioner Michael Guerin voted against the motion. “I don’t think I need to highlight how dangerous today’s cannabis is,” sa ..read more

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST (Associated Press) WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department on Thursday formally moved to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, a historic shift in generations of U.S. drug policy. A proposed rule sent to the federal register recognizes the medical uses of cannabis and acknowledges it has less potential for abuse than some of the nation’s most dangerous drugs. The plan approved by Attorney General Merrick Garland would not legalize marijuana outright for recreational use. The Drug Enforcement Administration will next take public comment on the proposal in a poten ..read more

By Jennifer Peltz and Lindsay Whitehurst, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is moving toward reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug. The Justice Department proposal would recognize the medical uses of cannabis, but wouldn’t legalize it for recreational use. The proposal would move marijuana from the “Schedule I” group to the less tightly regulated “Schedule III.” So what does that mean, and what are the implications? WHAT HAS ACTUALLY CHANGED? WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? Technically, nothing yet. The proposal must be ..read more

By ZEKE MILLER, JOSHUA GOODMAN, JIM MUSTIAN and LINDSAY WHITEHURST (Associated Press) WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will move to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, The Associated Press has learned, a historic shift to generations of American drug policy that could have wide ripple effects across the country. The proposal, which still must be reviewed by the White House Office of Management and Budget, would recognize the medical uses of cannabis and acknowledge it has less potential for abuse than some of the nation’s most dangerous drugs. However, it w ..read more

Nonprofit organizations in Carroll County are advocating for a new county ordinance stipulating how they will use the tax revenue from the sale of adult-use cannabis in Maryland. The Board of Carroll County Commissioners heard from agencies at a public hearing Thursday describing how the tax revenue collected from Maryland’s Community Reinvestment Repair Fund, could be a financial benefit. Maryland imposes a 9% state sales tax on adult-use cannabis. Per Maryland statute, 35% of the proceeds are allocated to the Community Reinvestment and Repair Fund, which is intended to support communities di ..read more

Saturday marks marijuana culture’s high holiday, 4/20, when college students gather — at 4:20 p.m. — in clouds of smoke on campus quads and pot shops in legal-weed states thank their customers with discounts. This year’s edition provides an occasion for activists to reflect on how far their movement has come, with recreational pot now allowed in nearly half the states, including Maryland, and the nation’s capital. Many states have instituted “social equity” measures to help communities of color, harmed the most by the drug war, reap financial benefits from legalization. And the White House has ..read more

A public hearing on proposed regulations that will allow for the sale of recreational cannabis in Carroll County is set for March 7. The Board of Carroll County Commissioners voted at its meeting in January to direct planning staff to schedule a public hearing on proposed changes to the county code that would regulate the sale of recreational cannabis. According to the Maryland Cannabis Administration, there are two cannabis dispensaries in Carroll County, The Dispensary and Verilife Dispensary, both in Westminster. Both are under the city’s, not the county’s, jurisdiction. As of July 1, 2023 ..read more

The Board of Carroll County Commissioners said this week that they will wait until the legislative process concludes before formally commenting on a proposed Maryland General Assembly bill that could limit how far local governments can go in restricting locations of new cannabis dispensaries. A statement on the board’s decision to hold off on commenting was emailed Tuesday in response to questions from The Carroll County Times. Following a March 7 public hearing on proposed county regulations to allow for the sale of recreational cannabis here, Commissioners’ President Ken Kiler, of Distr ..read more

A bill to limit how far local governments can go in restricting the locations of new cannabis dispensaries cleared a key hurdle in the Maryland General Assembly on Thursday, moving it closer to becoming law just as the state hands out the first round of new cannabis licenses. The legislation aims to prevent counties from enacting overly burdensome zoning rules that go beyond last year’s law that set up the recreational industry in Maryland. Only formerly medical cannabis license holders have been permitted to grow, process or sell recreational cannabis so far. The first 174 new licen ..read more