Maryland Governor Appoints Former Police Officer as Cannabis Czar
Governor Larry Hogan selected former state trooper Patrick Jameson as executive director of the Maryland Medical Cannabis Association on Monday. Maryland is currently at war with its own Governor concerning state cannabis laws.
Maryland decriminalized 10 grams of cannabis or less in 2013. Senate Bill 517 was introduced to offer consistency, since earlier bills didn’t address certain specifics. The bill was passed easily with a 32-13 vote in the Senate and 83-53 in the House of Delegates. The bill decriminalizes possession of cannabis paraphernalia, however Governor Larry Hogan immediately vetoed the bill. Luckily, the Maryland General Assembly responded by overthrowing Governor Hogan’s veto. Governor Hogan has one last trick up his sleeve, which is his selection for executive director. The culmination of constant delays means that medical cannabis patients in Maryland may not see cannabis on a shelf until 2017. Jameson is expected to issue 15 licenses for growers and 94 licenses for dispensaries this summer.
Jameson served with the Maryland State Police for 12 years and was a union officer. Jameson spent a decade working as a homeland security officer for the consulting firm Oracle. Jameson sought office unsuccessfully as county sheriff in 2010, using drug elimination as a platform. As cannabis czar, Jameson will issue and revoke licenses in the local cannabis community. The association’s previous director, Hannah Byron, left her seat in January.
During Jameson’s term, the state will undergo several new proposed bills to re-criminalize smoking cannabis in public, including HB-777, HB-1304 and SB-1036. “Until cannabis is legal and regulated for adults,” the Marijuana Policy Project stated, “Marylanders who choose to consume a substance safer than alcohol will still be stigmatized as lawbreakers, racially biased enforcement of marijuana laws will continue to result in unequal justice, and the marijuana market will continue to be in the shadows.”
