Maryland Democrats are using full marijuana legalization to entice voter turnout for the 2018 elections.
Lawmakers began discussing two proposals to fully legalize marijuana for adult consumption Monday. The effort is still in the early stages, but support appears to be mounting for creation of a ballot measure for the 2018 election asking voters to decide. The proposed legislation would set up a regulatory structure for a commercial marijuana market and taxing the substance. A separate proposal calls for taxing non-medical use of marijuana, reports The Baltimore Sun.
Despite having a legal medical marijuana market, recent efforts to fully legalize the substance have failed, making a popular ballot vote more attractive to proponents. Marijuana legalization supporters also hope a popular ballot will excite Democratic voters and increase voter turnout in 2018, when Republican Gov. Larry Hogan is up for reelection.
Defeating Hogan will prove a difficult task for Maryland Democrats, given his unprecedented popularity in the state. Registered Democrats outnumber Republicans in the state by more than two to one, but a recent poll showed Hogan with a 74 percent approval rating.
Hogan has not taken a position on a popular ballot for marijuana legalization in Maryland.
“It’s a matter of when,” Del. David Moon, a Montgomery County Democrat pushing for a referendum, told The Baltimore Sun. “It’s become very clear that this is no longer a fringe issue. It’s totally mainstream.”
Marijuana legalization requires three-fifths of the legislature to approve, a much stronger majority than standard legislation requires. Many advocates argue putting the question to voters through a referendum will offer a simpler path toward policy victory. Broad legalization efforts are finding success throughout the country.
Medical marijuana is legal in 28 states and Washington, D.C., where it is also legal for recreational use. Voters in Maine, Nevada, California and Massachusetts approved measures to legalize marijuana for recreational use on Election Day. Lawmakers in Rhode Island are looking to follow suit, and a push is also underway in New Jersey.
Maryland decriminalized the possession of up to 10 ounces of marijuana in 2014, substituting arrest for a $100 fine.
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