The author of the Maryland law that governs distribution of medical marijuana through the state’s approved research hospitals wants to loosen up the program.
His proposed bill, however, does little to address the key stumbling block in the law.
Baltimore County Delegate Dan Morhaim said that his new measure would allow physicians on staff at a hospital or hospice to recommend MMJ to patients.
“The current bill is not working,” Morhaim conceded “We all hoped it would.”
But the state has yet to create regulations governing its existing MMJ program, much less expand it. No hospitals have registered with the state to participate in the program, almost certainly due to fear of risking federal grant money related to ongoing and future research.
The current medical marijuana program is so restrictive that some industry veterans do not even consider Maryland as one of the states that allows medical marijuana use, saying it’s simply too restrictive. If no hospitals are willing to participate, Morhaim’s bill won’t do any good.
Meanwhile, state legislators have introduced two other bills to legalize recreational marijuana. The state’s governor has indicated he is not eager to support such measures, particularly in the absence of a successful and functioning medical marijuana industry.