Marijuana could be available to cancer patients in Maryland within six months under legislation that won final approval today from General Assembly as the legislature prepares to adjourn for the year. Reversing more than a decade of rejection, lawmakers approved the medical use of marijuana with a swift and overwhelming vote by the state Senate. Governor Martin O’Malley is expected to sign the measure as long it meets his test of protecting state employees from federal prosecutors who consider the drug illegal.
Delegate Dan Morhaim, a physician and lead sponsor of the proposal, has long argued that pot should be treated like any other potential pain reliever for medical purposes.
“There just no reason why that shouldn’t happen, and I’m glad Maryland is now the nineteenth state to move forward in medical marijuana."
The Maryland program would be tightly regulated by a state commission and run through medical academic facilities. Morhaim said he was encouraged that the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins have both indicated interest in the program.