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Law Maryland MMJ

Md. legislative leaders in stand-off over special session on medical marijuana
Advocates who want to diversify and expand Maryland’s medical marijuana industry are calling on the General Assembly to hold a one-day special session to get the job done.

But the top politicians in Annapolis are again at odds on the issue, imperiling the chances for a deal.

Democratic lawmakers agree that the state should approve five new minority growers to join the 15 mostly white-owned companies already pre-approved to open cultivation sites.

But House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel) and Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller (D-Calvert) are again in a stand-off over whether legislation considered in a special session should also steer licenses to two applicants, who are suing the state after they were denied licenses in the name of geographic diversity.

Miller says giving those companies licenses is crucial to ending lawsuits and allowing the long-delayed program to proceed. Busch says it’s inappropriate for the state to help specific businesses.

Gov. Larry Hogan (R) has shown little desire to intervene.

"diversify and expand Maryland’s medical marijuana industry" means give additional licenses outside of the full and open competition, to black owned companies. Diversity, in this case, doesn't mean Vietnamese, Mongolians, Hispanics, Jews, women, disabled vets, or any other damn thing else beside Black Americans.

As for the licenses for the two companies who DID win via full and open competition and where subsequently bumped off for political concerns; Miller is right. Give them the licenses and end the law suits. Otherwise this will be in court for ever.
 
Ok, maybe this doesn't belong right here, but this is so long awaited and if I erred I'm sure Mom will whip me. LOL Patient Registry opened today for people whose last names start with M-Z. It was easy peasy but you do need to carefully read the instructions on picture and proof of ID photo requirements and I fear for many without much in the way of computer skills that part may be tough. But the rest of the application was very simple and I have already established a relationship with a registered Dr and provided my records and she has already agreed to certify me when I get my patient number. Wow....never thought I would see this day.


The Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission (MMCC) has received your Patient application. Please click here to verify your email address. The Commission will not be able to process your application until this verification is completed.

After your email address has been verified and your application reviewed, you will receive a follow up email within approximately 10 business days advising whether or not your application has been approved. During peak enrollment periods, the review process may take longer.

In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to contact us at dhmh.mmccregistration@maryland.gov with any questions or concerns.

Thank you,

Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission
 
Ok, maybe this doesn't belong right here, but this is so long awaited and if I erred I'm sure Mom will whip me. LOL Patient Registry opened today for people whose last names start with M-Z. It was easy peasy but you do need to carefully read the instructions on picture and proof of ID photo requirements and I fear for many without much in the way of computer skills that part may be tough. But the rest of the application was very simple and I have already established a relationship with a registered Dr and provided my records and she has already agreed to certify me when I get my patient number. Wow....never thought I would see this day.

Great news! I'm glad they moved ahead with the process.
 
Great news! I'm glad they moved ahead with the process.
Thanks, friend!!

So am I. Now awaiting for my application approval. They said up to 10 days but since they just opened the registry, I suspect that they will be a bit overwhelmed at first. We will see.

I'm going to offer to my MMJ Doc that if any of her patients need some help with the registration process (particularly the very specific photo requirements) that perhaps I could volunteer to be of service. I think that would be a good use of a retired guy's time, yeah? Not that hard for me, but many potential patients don't necessarily have great computer skills.

MD will be holding sessions around the state with people to assist patients who need help registering. But this is just an upfront activity and I don't think they will continue to offer this counseling so there may be a need.

Cheers
 
Once you're registered how will DC's law affect your situation? I haven't read up on it but you are obviously well informed about many of the details.

Does Maryland have to agree to allow patients to purchase in DC?

If MD patients can purchase here it's only going to make it all better for everyone involved. Who cares about a couple extra minutes of waiting at the dispensary. People will finally get what they need.


 
Once you're registered how will DC's law affect your situation? I haven't read up on it but you are obviously well informed about many of the details.

Does Maryland have to agree to allow patients to purchase in DC?

If MD patients can purchase here it's only going to make it all better for everyone involved. Who cares about a couple extra minutes of waiting at the dispensary. People will finally get what they need.

No, Maryland does not have to approve you in order for you to buy in DC dispensaries and in fact has not As far as Maryland is concerned, all MJ except that distributed by their licensed dispensaries under their regulatory structure is illegal.

DC did pass a reciprocity act that went into effect on 17 Feb and states that DC will honor out of state medical cards. Two things, however; MD just opened the patient registry 10 days or so ago so nobody in MD has a MMJ card yet and; 2) I understand tangentially that the DC dispensaries are not operating under the reciprocity act yet (I don't know what the hold up is). I don't care too much about that at the moment as MD seems to be getting their program moving finally. But if I get a card ion the next month, it would be nice to buy legal in DC in that period before dispensaries with stock are opened in MD.

NOW, on the subject of Maryland, pork barrel politics, race based licensing, etc....that paragon of democracy, Del Cheryl Glenn is still at it (the beyatch!). She seems willing to stop all state business in order to get her race based (read that as black citizens only) license set aside. I suspect that they will cave into her and I don't care except that all of the other licensees will probably sue as they did all of their ROI and P&L calculations on a given number of growers/processors/dispensaries for MD's population. Also, she salted her last attemtp at this with a bunch of extraneous and delaying requirements, in particular that the state disband the MMCC and move regulation and management of MMJ elsewhere in the state government. This bitch don't give a shit who gets hurt as long as she gets her pork licenses and gains more control over the program by restructuring its organization. Perhaps I should take this any further in the FUCK YOU thread, eh? LOL

Patient registration for Maryland’s medical marijuana program has begun. Roughly 1,200 patients signed up the first week, during which anyone whose last name begins with letters A-L was permitted to apply. The number of registered physicians spiked as well, and currently sits at 250. Those numbers should double quickly as registration opens the entire state on April 24.

“We are having some good numbers that are coming in,” said Patrick Jameson, executive director of the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission. “The rollout so far is going well.”

But as the program ramps up, Maryland’s Legislative Black Caucus has issued an ultimatum to Maryland’s General Assembly: Either address the lack of diversity in Maryland’s cannabis industry or say goodbye to the support of the caucus’s 51 members.

“How can the Democratic Party pass anything in the legislature without us? How can they be successful in the next election without us?” asked Del. Cheryl Glenn, who chairs the caucus. “They won’t, unless they resolve this.”​
 
Again, not really germaine but I don't know where else to put it and ITS SUCH GREAT FUCKING NEWS I HAVE TO TELL SOMEONE ABOUT IT!! LOL

:aaaaa::aaaaa::buzz::biggrin::nod::partyhat::headbang::clap::smoke::thumbsup:

Got this email today, personal info redacted:


Dear XXXX,

Your application to register as a Patient with the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission (MMCC) has been approved.

Your selected Username and assigned MMCC ID Number are below and are extremely important.

Username: XXXXX

Password: You will use the password that you selected during registration.

MMCC ID Number: Lots of XXXXXX’s

You must take your MMCC ID Number to your physician in order to get a certification and to any Maryland licensed dispensary in order to purchase cannabis.

You must keep a record of your MMCC ID Number.

Your Username is required to log into the MMCC Patient Registry. Your password can be reset, if needed, on the Patient Registry Sign In page by clicking the Forgot Password or Username? link.

Please take appropriate steps to keep and protect this information.

Your Patient registration is valid for two years and expires on 4/20/2019. The Commission will send a reminder email to this address 60 days prior to the expiration date.

The Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission website has helpful information about the MMCC program. Should you have any questions, please contact us at dhmh.mmccregistration@maryland.gov.

Thank you,

Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission​
 
Talk about a great 420 present!!! :partyhat::partyhat::partyhat: Oh happy day.........
Oh yeah, this is THE 420 present of all time.

Truly, Mom....I really didn't think I would live to see the day. Ain't it grand! :aaaaa:

 
Hey @momofthegoons - it got even better. I not only was approved in the MMCC Patient Registry, but my Dr went into the system last night and gave me my certification. I am now a card carrying MD MMJ patient. Best 420 gift EVERY.

Now, if they would only now open a fucking dispensary I would be in clover!! :aaaaa:

upload_2017-4-21_12-16-2.png
 
Marijuana company exec offers compromise that could lead to special session
A medical marijuana company suing the state said Tuesday it would not drop its lawsuit unless it gets a license to grow the drug. But its CEO said the firm will no longer insist that a license for it be written into state law.

That insistence was at the heart of a standoff between General Assembly leaders, and the key reason Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller and House Speaker Michael E. Busch would not call lawmakers back to Annapolis for a special session to expand the medical marijuana industry.

The presiding officers have agreed that at least five more licenses to grow the drug should be granted to minority-owned firms. But they refused to compromise on whether the legislature should intervene in a separate controversy over giving growing licenses to two top-ranked companies that the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission excluded from the initial pool of winners.

The leader of one of those companies, GTI Maryland CEO Pete Kadens, said Tuesday his company's pursuit of a license appeared to be standing in the way of the Legislative Black Caucus' request for a special session to help African-American-owned firms that have been shut out of the industry. He spoke during a meeting with The Baltimore Sun's editorial board.

Although a state law required the cannabis commission to consider racial diversity when awarding licenses, the commission did not weigh that factor. None of the initial 15 licenses went to firms owned by African-Americans.

Lawmakers this year sought to remedy that, and Miller sought to help GTI as well. That firm initially ranked in the top 15, but the cannabis commission bumped it out of contention in order to achieve "geographic diversity" among marijuana growers. The dual controversies became intertwined, and Busch's refusal to help GTI ultimately led to the defeat of a bill that would have expanded the industry in a way likely to favor African-American firms.

Kadens, who is white, said he asked himself, "Is it possible that we could be the ones that are protracting institutional racism?"

"I think we should yield," Kadens said.

Miller and Busch have not discussed whether GTI's concession removes the remaining roadblock to calling a special session, their aides said Tuesday. Gov. Larry Hogan has the authority to convene a special session, but said through a spokesman Tuesday he would not consider it until the presiding officers agree on an approach.

"This is between them," Hogan spokesman Doug Mayer said Tuesday. "This is an issue they need to resolve."

In addition to the lawsuit, GTI is still seeking a new provision in state law that would guarantee the company would be in line for a license if some of the initial winners dropped out. The cannabis commission signaled last year it intended to move down the list of top-ranked companies if the chosen 15 firms did not win final approval to grow the drug.

"This is not a money grab," Kadens said. "We want what is justly ours."

Legislative Black Caucus Chairwoman Del. Cheryl Glenn, a Baltimore Democrat, said Tuesday that GTI's position removes "the only issue" standing in the way of a special session. Glenn has said the legislature has an obligation to add cannabis-growing licenses to ensure that minority-owned firms are represented in the lucrative new industry.

Glenn said she has began a formal petition of her colleagues to return to Annapolis on June 15, an effort she plans to continue in order to get on record which Democrats back the top priority of her caucus.

"Not supporting us in this issue is supporting institutional racism," Glenn said. "The medical cannabis industry is moving forward, and it is moving forward with the exclusion of African-Americans."

I continue to ask how you can have institutional racism and/or historical discrimination in an industry that DOES NOT YET FUCKING EXIST!. Ms Glenn doesn't give flying fuck about racism, what she cares about is a race based set aside for her particular demographic special interest (Americans of African descent). When will any of these people take any responsibility for losing in a blind, merit only, evaluation. Simple answer...never, much easier to play the race card and have a license granted to you because you're black. This is just my opinion but in fact since I have gotten my medical card and Ms Glenn's efforts are no longer threatening to delay the program further, I really don't give a crap outside of my general disdain for our culture of victimization and the constant clamor for special treatment.
 
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Hogan orders study of racial disparities in medical marijuana industry

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan on Thursday ordered a study of racial disparities in the state’s medical marijuana industry, the first step to justifying preferences for minority-owned businesses.

His move follows the collapse of legislative negotiations to diversify the industry after a furor over regulators awarding 15 preliminary cultivation licenses last year to a group of mostly white-owned companies.

A bill to give minority-owned groups a shot at five additional licenses failed in the General Assembly session that ended April 11.

Lawmakers have talked about reconvening in a special session to try again to pass a bill, but the Democratic presiding officers of both chambers have been in a standoff over whether to do that, based on issues unrelated to racial diversity.

Hogan (R) ordered the Governor’s Office of Minority Affairs to work with other agencies to complete a disparity study “as expeditiously as possible.”

“As the issue of promoting diversity is of great importance to me and my administration, your office should begin this process immediately in order to ensure opportunities for minority participation in the industry,” the governor wrote.

The 2014 law legalizing medical marijuana instructed the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission to seek to achieve racial and ethnic diversity among marijuana growers. But commissioners did not consider the race of applicants, citing advice from the attorney general’s office that evidence of racial disparities is necessary in order for such a preference to pass constitutional muster.

State lawmakers, especially members of the Legislative Black Caucus, have blasted the commission for dropping the issue of racial diversity rather than trying to find alternative options.

Marijuana growing centers are set to open as early as the summer, paving the way for patient access to the drug this fall.

Well, this is an example of real politics. Its not possible to do a racial disparity study on an industry that really is brand new. Race based set asides are generally allowed by the courts if they address historical discrimination and of course there is no history to speak of in the MJ industry. But the realities of our political system are such that sometimes its better to go along and get somewhere than to take a stand and make no progress. At least IMO. All I care about is the existing licensees being cleared to grow, process and dispense as soon as possible.
 
Despite controversy, Maryland medical marijuana grower on brink of starting cultivation
Since lawmakers approved medical marijuana in Maryland, the nascent industry has been mired in legal and political controversy.

A judge is deciding whether the state improperly awarded licenses to grow and process the plant. Black lawmakers said minorities didn't have a fair chance of getting those licenses. Now the governor has ordered a study.

ForwardGro isn't waiting to see how it all turns out.

The firm in Anne Arundel County has poured more than $10 million into building a state-of-the-art greenhouse in the basin of a reclaimed sand mine.

ForwardGro is one of 23 companies licensed to grow or process marijuana in Maryland for patients suffering from cancer, epilepsy and other conditions. Amid the uncertainty that has slowed the development of the industry, most are forging ahead with costly plans to build elaborate growing operations that could have crops ready as soon as August.

"We're very excited that some of our members are 30 days away from planting their first plants," said Jake Van Wingerden, chairman of the Maryland Wholesale Medical Cannabis Trade Association. "You'll see product in the marketplace by this fall."

Van Wingerden, president of SunMed Growers in Cecil County, said his company expects to finish construction of its facility in July. At a meeting this month of his association's 13 growers, he said, "everybody expressed optimism that they are on schedule."

ForwardGro and its sprawling 2-acre compound in southern Anne Arundel County is poised next week to receive final inspection to secure a license to grow medical marijuana, company executives said.

As early as next month, the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission could allow them to turn on the lights and begin growing the first medical marijuana plants — more than four years after the state made it legal.

On a recent afternoon, the ForwardGro executive team navigated around electricians and painters, chatting with county building inspectors and envisioning what the massive cavern would look like once workers in medical scrubs and hairnets finally begin growing the potent pot for patients.

"I'm going to be a mess when we start growing," Chief Financial Officer Gail Rand said.

Rand spent years lobbying the legislature to legalize medical marijuana to help children like her son, Logan, who has epilepsy. One of the company's first products will be a strain she picked out for him.

"I'm looking to give this to my 7-year-old son," she said. "That's my standard of quality."

The facility will be capable of generating 9,000 pounds of medical marijuana each year, with a retail value of roughly $45 million. ForwardGro and other growers will sell their products wholesale for less than that to a processor who will turn them into oils, tinctures or topical creams. Or they will prepare it to be inhaled from vaporizers or smoked the old-fashioned way.

Up to 94 dispensaries will sell medical marijuana to registered patients who have had the drug recommended by a certified physician. The Arcview Group, a marijuana industry research group, estimates Maryland's market will be worth $129.7 million by 2020.

While ForwardGro is not certain how big the market will be — 4,673 patients have registered in the past three weeks — the company is poised to quickly scale up to meet demand. The company said it can double its greenhouse space, currently 1 acre, without constructing another building.

It also built the shell of a processing center, which company executives said can be an active lab within six weeks of getting the green light from the state.

And the 153-acre property has enough land to accommodate up to 24 acres of greenhouses, which theoretically could grow 216,000 pounds of marijuana a year.

The complex is set off a rural road, below the embankment of the former mine. Its address is marked in spray paint. There are no signs for ForwardGro. A dilapidated trailer at the entrance belies the multimillion-dollar operation being built.

"We don't mind that it's hard to find," Rand said. "We'll never have a lot of people come through here."

By law, the operation is encircled by razor wire and patrolled 24 hours a day by two armed guards.

Inside, each acre cost eight times more to build than a traditional greenhouse.

An elaborate climate-control system detects the intensity of sunlight and the floor temperature, and automatically adjusts to produce the optimum warm, sunny growing conditions favored by pot plants.

Water, kept at a brisk 55 degrees, trickles down a cooling wall at the end of greenhouse. The system is poised to blow moist, cool air across the room if the summer sun heats the room half a degree too hot.

A series of overhead fans simulate a natural breeze to strengthen the plant stems, because stronger plants can support larger marijuana flowers and give a better yield. The floors can radiate heat upward to promote faster root growth.

Water drawn from on-site springs is treated, oxygenated, and filtered in a specialized system, then infiltrated with a mix of fertilizers that is automatically dripped onto the plants. A series of screens can be drawn across the ceiling to adjust the light intensity, and overhead lamps can simulate natural sunlight during the darker winter months.

"Everything in here is controlled," said Austin Insley, ForwardGro's director of cultivation. "We can really manage this on our phones."

Data about the growing conditions are fed into a computer, which is connected to an app on Insley's iPhone. If the humidity unexpectedly dips at 2 a.m. on a Tuesday, for instance, Insley will get an alert.

So much of the greenhouse is automated that when the compound is fully operational, it will employ only about 15 people.

Maryland forbids growers from using pesticides or fungicides, so workers will treat the grow space like an operating room. Only specialized clothing may be worn — no pockets allowed. All clothing and shoes are laundered and kept on site. Workers must pass through a wind tunnel and foot wash to remove even the tiniest mites that live on human bodies. Employees will wear hairnets and beard guards.

"They're using more stuff on food you buy in the supermarket than we're allowed to use on the cannabis," Insley said.

Huge fans recycle the air in the greenhouse every minute. Outside, copper coils ringed with a sponge-like material emit essential oils that dampen the pungent scent of marijuana plants as that air is released.

Other operations are ramping up around the state. Phil Goldberg, chief executive of Green Leaf Medical in Frederick County, said the company will produce 320 pounds of "high-quality" cannabis at its 45,000-square-foot facility each month, plus 60 pounds of lower-grade "trim" to sell to processors.

He said his firm is about eight to 10 weeks from being ready for inspection. He hopes to have medical cannabis products on the market by Oct. 1.

Goldberg said Green Leaf has lined up 31 prospective dispensaries to distribute its products statewide. He said the company would like to be first to the market, but doesn't see that as essential.

"We want to make sure it's done right," he said.

ForwardGro, Green Leaf and the other growers will be required to send off samples for testing at a state-certified lab such as Steep Hill Maryland in Columbia.

"We will be ready for them," said Dr. Andrew Rosenstein, Steep Hill Maryland's CEO.

(Cont good article showing how industry is setting up for a brand new, from scratch, MMJ operation. But I like this statement as this is an issue for ALL legal states....where do the first plants come from:
"The company will not say where the initial batch of plants will come from. It's a felony to transport clones across state lines.
"It's immaculate conception," Rand said.)
 
Maryland finally gets medical marijuana program off the ground

Published: May 22, 2017, 2:26 pm • Updated: a day ago Comments (1)

By Aaron Gregg, The Washington Post

The commission that oversees Maryland’s fledgling medical cannabis program voted last week to award the state’s first full license to grow marijuana for medicinal purposes.

The stage two license, awarded to Forward Gro LLC, is a final sign-off from regulators for putting plants in the ground. The company will still have to wait for dispensaries to be fully inspected and licensed before it can sell cannabis products to approved patients, which it hopes to do by late summer or early fall.

Gail Rand, chief financial officer and patient advocate for Forward Gro, said “the patients of Maryland will finally have an opportunity to try this medicine that could help tens of thousands of people.”

The vote by the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission is a milestone for a program that has been beset by repeated delays and questions about the fairness of the licensing process.


“A new industry in Maryland has been officially launched,” commission executive director Patrick Jameson said in a statement. “Medical cannabis production will change the face of Maryland and will have a profound economic and health impact on the entire region.”

Last August, the commission awarded “pre-approval” licenses to 15 companies after receiving a crush of applications. Businesses that failed to win licenses brought lawsuits seeking to open the program up to more firms.

One lawsuit takes issue with the commission’s decision to re-shuffle the list of winning firms in the name of geographic diversity. Another alleges that the commission failed to properly account for racial diversity in awarding licenses.

A legislative effort to expand the number of licenses to include minority businesses and the companies suing the state over geographic diversity failed in the General Assembly last month. And as recently as Monday, a jilted license applicant filed an injunction seeking an emergency ruling to halt the issuing of licenses.

Like many of its competitors, Forward Gro’s investors include well-connected political donors and former government officials. A partial owner of the firm is Gary Mangum, the chief executive of flower wholesaler Bell Nursery and a top donor to Gov. Larry Hogan (R).

The firm also benefits from the expertise of George Johnson, a former Anne Arundel County sheriff and superintendent of the state Department of Natural Resources, who is an investor and head of security.

The marijuana commission is expected to vote later this month on the stage two application of another pre-approved grower, Curio Wellness.

Ok, one cultivator down, 14 to go. Then 15 processor licenses and I think 192 dispensaries need final approval. Wow, this may actually happen in my life time.
 
Judge orders temporary halt to new Maryland medical marijuana licensing

By Fenit Nirappil May 25 at 7:18 PM
Maryland’s medical marijuana program faces a potential new delay after a judge Thursday ordered a temporary halt to the program pending a hearing as part of a lawsuit that alleges regulators failed to consider racial diversity in licensing businesses.

Baltimore Circuit Court Judge Barry Williams granted a temporary restraining order barring the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission from granting new licenses to grow medical marijuana until a June 2 hearing.

The lawsuit by Alternative Medicine Maryland, a majority-black-owned company that failed to getdidn’t get a license, argues that regulators failed to consider minority ownership despite a legal mandate to “actively seek to achieve” racial and ethnic diversity.

In a one-page order, Williams said he granted the motion “on the grounds that irreparable harm will result to plaintiff in the form of loss of ability, once all licenses are issued” to other businesses.

The ruling comes as Maryland’s long-delayed and controversial medical marijuana program was finally getting off the ground. Regulators had preapproved 15 companies, none led by African Americans, and have given them until August to pass final inspections and background checks.

The Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission last week cleared the first company, ForwardGro of Anne Arundel County, to start growing marijuana. It appears to be unaffected by the order, and Gail Rand, Forward Gro’s chief financial officer, declined to comment on the ruling.

The commission will comply with the order to not grant new licenses and continue working to develop the program, Executive Director Patrick Jameson said.

A group representing pre-licensed growers and processors condemned the court ruling and dismissed the lawsuit as frivolous, noting the leaders of Alternative Medicine Maryland also failed to get a license to grow marijuana in New York. The company is run by a New York health-care executive.

“AMM is simply not qualified to deliver high-quality medical cannabis to patients, and the Circuit Court should not let a failed out-of-state company cause even further delays in Maryland’s medical cannabis program,” said Jake Van Wingerden, chairman of the Maryland Wholesale Medical Cannabis Trade Association.

An attorney for Alternative Medicine Maryland said the company wanted the lawsuit to end quickly and with licenses issued with racial and ethnic diversity in mind.

Court filings also suggest that Alternative Medicine Maryland was nowhere near the finalists for a license because it planned to locate in Talbot County, and a redacted list of the 60 top-ranked applicants included none in that area.

Questions about racial diversity are just one of several controversies that have embroiled the medical marijuana program and threaten further delays.

Two other cultivation applicants are suing cannabis regulators for rejecting them in favor of lower-ranked applicants from underrepresented parts of the state.

A bill that would give minorities priority to win five cultivation licenses failed in the final minutes of the General Assembly session that ended in April. Leaders of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland are trying to reconvene the legislature for a special session to pass that legislation.

Cannabis commissioners say they didn’t consider the race of applicants because the attorney general’s office advised them that such a move would be unconstitutional, absent evidence of disparities in the industry.

Gov. Larry Hogan (R) has ordered his administration to conduct a study of racial disparities in the medical marijuana industry, the first step toward justifying racial preferences in licensing.

Alright, @momofthegoons - you can slap my pee-pee for this but I'm going to say it anyway....all that these fucking selfish-ass politicians and companies, and their demands for race-based licensing, are about is the $$. They could give a crap less about patients and even "racial equality". All they want is a set aside for black Americans (well, them in particular) no matter the impact on the program and patients. Please note that they are also not interested fighting for in licenses for Latino, Asian, Jewish, or any other minority. Pox on both their houses, I hope they rot in hell.

Ont he other hand, the injunction is only until next Friday so hopefully this judge will see through this bit of charades and release the program to issue more final licenses as background and financial checks are completed.
 
Maryland's highest court stops hearing to upend medical marijuana industry

Maryland's Court of Appeals on Friday intervened to halt a city case that could upend the state's fledgling medical marijuana



Erin CoxContact ReporterThe Baltimore Sun
Maryland's highest court on Friday intervened to halt a case that could upend the state's fledgling medical marijuana industry.

The Court of Appeals issued a stay minutes before a Baltimore Circuit Court hearing on whether to put the entire cannabis program on hold while sorting out allegations the state improperly picked which companies should grow the drug.

The court's written ruling stopped the case "until further notice."

Lawyers representing 13 of 15 companies selected to cultivate marijuana had asked to stop the hearing so they can have a voice in the process. While lawyers said the next step is not clear, the intervention effectively allows Maryland's marijuana industry to continue for now.

"We're happy that we can move forward," said Jake Van Wingerden, chairmen of Maryland Wholesale Medical Cannabis Trade Association, which represents most marijuana growers. "The battle is not over. We won a skirmish."

Several underlying legal challenges remain and could put the industry on hold in the future.

Circuit Court Judge Barry Williams last week issued a temporary restraining order to prevent the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission from issuing any further marijuana growing licenses. So far, just one has been issued. Williams had ruled that companies without final licenses were not permitted to have a say in whether the entire licensing process is stopped.

Now, the licensing process can continue and some growers say they expect the drug to be ready for patients by the end of the summer.

Van Wingerden, president of SunMed Growers in Cecil County, estimated the growers, processors and dispensaries picked by the state have already invested more than $150 million in setting up their businesses and seeking final licenses.

Patrick Jameson, executive director of the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission, declined to comment.

John Pica, an attorney representing a firm trying to restart the licensing process, declined to comment except to say, "We're anxiously awaiting the next step."

Pica represents Alternative Medicine Maryland, one of about 130 companies that applied to grow marijuana but was not among the 15 selected cultivators.

The company alleges the commission broke the law by not considering racial diversity when picking growers for preliminary licenses. Alternative Medicine Maryland, which is led by an African-American doctor from New York, said the commission illegally disregarded a provision in state law instructing it to "actively seek to achieve racial, ethnic and geographic diversity when licensing medical cannabis growers."

None of the 15 companies selected are led by African-Americans. Assistant Attorney General Heather Nelson, who represents the commission, has argued in court the commission satisfied the law by advertising the program to a broad audience.

Williams ruled late last month that the commission should stop issuing final licenses until after Friday's full hearing on the relative harms of halting an industry before it got off the ground or letting it move forward with a "potentially unconstitutional" decision at its foundation.

The Court of Appeals ruling put that hearing on hold.

Patient advocates and the companies that won in the initial selection process rallied outside Baltimore Circuit Court Friday morning, protesting any further delays to launching the medical marijuana industry.

Lawmakers legalized medical marijuana more than four years ago, and Maryland's program has been among the slowest in the country to get off the ground.

At a podium on the sidewalk outside the courthouse, Carey Tilghman's 20-month-old daughter, Raina, clapped and climbed over her mother as Tilghman explained how she needs medical marijuana oils to tamp down the seizures that started rattling Raina when she was 7 months old.

"I don't want to put any more Valium in this baby," said Tilghman, who lives in Washington County. She said oils derived from hemp have been helpful, but "we need something stronger."

"No more delays. We can't wait," she said.

The racial diversity case is just one challenging how the state settled on which companies get to grow the drug, a license valued by industry analysts to be worth several million dollars apiece.

In a separate lawsuit, a firm bumped out of the top 15 winners alleged the commission broke its own regulations when it made geographic diversity among growers more important than other criteria. That lawsuit is still pending.

Meanwhile, the state's Legislative Black Caucus is pushing Gov. Larry Hogan and legislative leaders to reconvene the General Assembly in order oust members of the marijuana commission and issue five more licenses to grow the drug. Legislation drafted for the potential special session would award those licenses to minority-led firms, pending the outcome of a legally mandated diversity study.

Kate Bell, a lawyer for the advocacy group Marijuana Policy Project, said Friday's hearing illustrates why it should be the legislature, and not the courts, that fixes whatever problems might exist with how initial licenses were issued.

Most civil lawsuits, she said, have just a few involved parties. But this case impacts dozens of businesses and thousands of patients who have waited more than four years for the state to get its medical marijuana program up and running. So far, more than 6,500 patients have registered to use the drug.

"All of these competing interests should be heard by our representatives in the General Assembly," Bell said. "This is something that should be resolved by elected officials who have accountability to the taxpayers, not the court."

Thank god for the courts because our politicians in Maryland can't find their ass using both hands. I see that MD Black Legislative Caucus is still trying to promote race based license issuane. Race based = racist if you have any grasp of the English language and logic.
 
Now ain't this a pretty picture....NOT!

http://www.wusa9.com/news/local/mar...d-inside-cheverly-police-department/443924087

A Maryland police chief is the target of several lawsuits filed by former police officers. The lawsuits allege racism, sexual harassment, and other instances of misconduct by Harry "Buddy" Robshaw. According to one suit, he directed officers to racially profile black people, saying "if there is more than one black person in a car there is marijuana present and they should investigate." He currently serves on the Maryland Medicinal Cannabis Commission and heads up the subcommittee responsible for awarding licenses. WUSA

Full Story

CHEVERLY, MD. (WUSA9) - A series of lawsuits filed by four former police officers in Cheverly, Maryland paint a picture of a department allegedly infected by workplace intimidation, sexual assault and officer misconduct on the watch of police chief Harry "Buddy" Robshaw III.

The alleged wrongdoing dates back nearly a decade and includes allegations that Robshaw directed officers to use racial profiling while on patrol.

The Town of Cheverly is asking a Maryland judge to throw out one suit filed by two former officers. A hearing on the matter is scheduled for June 20.

Another lawsuit alleging Robshaw sexually assaulted an ex-officer’s wife and then retaliated against her husband after she complained is scheduled for a federal jury trial in October.

The credibility of the former officers making the allegations is likely to be an issue. Three of the four former officers who are making claims have had their firings upheld by judges reviewing their cases.

RELATED: Francis Schmidt et al V Town of Cheverly Amended Complaint

Few citizens in Cheverly are aware of the situation and the town has never done its own independent investigation.

The allegations outlined in the lawsuits begin with an alleged incident during a 2008 police department Christmas party at Cheverly’s American Legion Hall.
 
Looky, looky what I got today. Man, am I official or what! Or WHAT! LOL Personally, I like the black bar I added across my eyes...what the hell, all of these pictures make me look like a child molester anyway (you should see my drivers license) so why not act the part! LOL
My MMJ Card Scan Redacted.jpg
 

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