How Does Maryland Law Define “Weed” and Is It Legal in (2023)

Did you know that rules for weed are going to change in Maryland? So can we say that weed is legal in Maryland?

Yes! People in Maryland can now grow, possess and smoke weed. On 12th January 2022, Question 4 was introduced. They introduced this house bill to conduct a vote on whether weed should be allowed to be consumed in Maryland or not.

The results came out to be in the favor of those who voted “yes”. Approximately 67.20% of voters approved the weed to be legal in Maryland. But wait, this law is not enforced at the moment.

Apart from knowing that weed is legal in Maryland, there are many other things you need to take into account. The Laws of weed, and where you can consume it, are essential to know.

Laws & Possession

In Maryland, medical marijuana laws exist to save the public from overconsumption of this substance. The weed laws in Maryland are strongly followed to take a look to save hefty fines.

Maryland has allowed the possession of weed to adults over 21 years of age. However, there are certain laws of possessing weed that one needs to follow.

Let’s see what are the personal and other laws made for weed consumption and possession.

1. Personal use
An individual can possess weed up to 1.5 ounces from July 1 2023, as per the results of Question 4. This means an individual is free to possess up to 1.5 ounces, but above that is a punishable offense.

If someone possesses 1.5 to 2.5, then they are subject to a civil fine. From the beginning of July 1, 2023, one can grow up to 2 cannabis plants in their house for personal use.

However, one cannot carry marijuana in public, as that is counted as an offense and has to pay a civil fine of $500.

2. Possessing weed with and intent to distribute
On one hand, consumption of weed will be legal after 1 July, 2023, but even after that, possessing it with the intention to sell or distribute it will remain illegal.
It will be a punishable offense of about 3 years and a fine of approximately $5000.

Where is it Safe to Consume Weed?

In Maryland, one can consume weed only on private property. Riding a vehicle under the influence of weed or smoking it on public property is a public offense.

Is weed Legal in Baltimore?

Rules in Baltimore do not allow the smoking of weed in public. Only medical weed can be used that too in a private property. Driving under the influence of weed is a punishable offense in Baltimore.
Recreation of weed is still illegal in Baltimore.

Similar to this, the police can arrest you depending on the amount of the weed you have consumed in public. This rule is applicable in Ocean city, Maryland. These rules can change but in 2022, the weed is not legal in Ocean city.

Who Can Consume Weed Now?

Only patients that are registered and their caregivers can possess the weed for now. The qualifying patients can consume about 120 grams of weed in the period of 30 days. It is possible for the healthcare providers to reduce the consumption by mentioning it on the patient’s certificate.

The patient must be registering with the MMCC to purchase the medical weed from the state dispensary. The registration with MMCC is valid for 3 years and apart from registering, an ID card is also needed for caregivers to make the purchase for medical weed.

Any medical patient under the age of 18 must only be accompanied by the caregiver. The caregiver must be their parents or legal guardian.

Which Medical Conditions are Qualified for Medical Weed Treatment?

• Glaucoma
• Severe chronic pain
• Severe nausea
• PTSD
• Wasting syndrome
• Seizures
• Persistent or severe muscle spasms
• Anorexia
• Conditions resulting in a patient receiving hospice or palliative

Along with these conditions, they can also add severe medical conditions and chronic pain in the list. If other treatments turn out to be ineffective and the doctor suggests that weed treatment can help, then those can also be added to the list. Patients can make a petition in MMCC to include the condition in the list.

The Process of Registering as a patient for Medical Marijuana:

All the applications are filled online.
1. To register as a patient under MMCC, parents or legal guardians must accompany the patient if the patient is a minor.
2. In the registration process, you need to attach your government ID, valid electronic copy, proof of residency if not mentioned in the ID.
3. A patient also needs to pay an application fee of $25. In case they have a Maryland Medical Assistant program card or VA, they can provide that to waive the fee.
4. An application is completed once you confirm the verification email that you will receive along with your Patient ID number.
5. The Patient ID number is something that is important to give to the physician. Handle it to the caregiver if needed.
6. You can visit a physician who is registered with MMCC. to get the written certification.
7. You can now purchase medical weed from the licensed dispensary, with the help of your patient ID.

Caregiver

A caregiver must be at least 21 years old or above. One caregiver can provide assistance to 5 patients at one time. In case the patient is minor, then a caregiver must accompany but in other cases, a caregiver can accompany only if asked by the patient.

A caregiver will not be able to purchase any Medical weed from the licensed dispensary unless they have an approval and ID card from the MMCC. Let us give you an overview of how one can register as a caregiver.

Registration Process for a Caregiver

1. Fill out an application form available online on the MMCC Registry website.
2. Fill the application with the help of a valid electronic copy of a US-government ID and proof of residency in Maryland.
3. You will receive the approval from the MMCC
4. Select the patient you want to be a caregiver for. Select this from the caregiver registry.
5. Pay the fee of $25 and get a caregiver ID.

In both cases of medical marijuana, the patient and caregiver need an ID for making a legal purchase. Now that you know the process of getting an MMJ ID card, let’s see if someone with one ID card can possess weed in every state.

Does Maryland Accept out of State?

Maryland does not accept the cards of other states yet, that allows the patient to purchase marijuana. If you want to possess and use marijuana in Maryland, you will need to apply for the Maryland Medical marijuana Id card. Maryland does not recognize the patients from the other state to consume the medical marijuana unless they register as the state patient and apply for a patient ID.

Other Reciprocity Rules

It is a federal offense to transport marijuana from one state to another. It is a crime to cross the state late in possession of marijuana, so try avoiding it.

If you are a legal patient trying to get marijuana, then purchasing it from the dispensary that Maryland state has approved and which is amongst the 102 approved list of dispensaries, then you are free from trouble.

There is a list of states that are still accepting medical marijuana card from other states. The list is given below.

• Nevada
• Oklahoma
• Rhode Island
• Arizona
• Washington D.C.
• New Mexico
• Arkansas
• Hawaii
• Utah
• Maine
• Michigan
• New Hampshire
• Puerto Rico (US territory)

Some states allow the recreational of marijuana, this also allows the dispensary to decide whether they want to allow the card which is out of the state or not.

There are some states which allow out-of-state marijuana cardholders to only possess the Marijuana and not buy it.

Bottom Line!

We advise the patients to check the state laws in which they are traveling to understand the state and local rules before making any purchase. Take the recent laws into consideration at the time of traveling to avoid getting into trouble.