Suppose for a moment that your state is offering qualified students financial aid for college or graduate school. If you could not afford to attend higher education on your own and qualified for this resource, would you rather have your financial aid distributed equally or equitably? And how would society benefit from such a policy?…
When I arrived home after a recent visit to Colorado and emptied my jacket pockets onto the dresser, I realized my mistake immediately. By combining the convenience of modern air travel and my absentmindedness, I had traveled across the country using the federal transportation and aviation infrastructure while in possession of a cartridge containing delta-nine tetrahydrocannabinol. Federal…
KEITH STROUP, FOUNDER AND LEGAL COUNSEL NORML (NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR THE REFORM OF MARIJUANA LAWS) The year was 1970. The United States was entering its ninth year of armed involvement in the Vietnam War. Not two years earlier, civil rights leader Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., and presidential hopeful Robert Kennedy were assassinated. Later that…
When the first sales of medical cannabis in Maryland were made in December 2017, a patient could be certain that the medicine they received was raised indoors and grown under controlled conditions. By carefully regulating the light, climate, water, and nutrients that the plants received, growers could ensure that plants would produce a uniform product…
A Day of Thanksgiving As the pandemic continues to upend plans this year across the board, traditional family gatherings will be giving way to a smaller, more socially distant Thanksgiving. Instead of sitting closely together in a poorly ventilated space with your family and friends and sharing food from the same serving dishes, families are…
When President Trump signed the 2018 Farm Bill into law, few could have realized the broad ramifications that it would have on marijuana laws nationwide. The Farm Bill is usually where agricultural farm subsidies, crop insurance, and nutritional priorities are set by the federal government. But this year’s bill contained some surprises. Thanks to Senator…
Terpenes are nature’s fungicide. Plants produce terpenes to protect them from hostile enemies ranging from grazing animals, insects, microscopic bacteria and fungi, and high temperatures. Terpenes provide the orange color to carrots (beta-carotene) as well as the citrus smell to oranges and lemons (limonene). At last count, scientists had identified more than 15,000 different terpenes…
EDIBLES ISSUE FINALLY, THE EDIBLES HAVE ARRIVED On January, 12, 2022, all eyes will once again turn to Annapolis and the General Assembly where the eternally hopeful Cannabis-consuming residents of Maryland will wait expectantly as legislators wrestle with the question, “Will this be the year?” Will this be the year that the Maryland General Assembly…
Seed Money in Maryland In my daytime gig as a criminal defense attorney, I am often called upon to explain to my clients the purpose of criminal laws. Sometimes the law reflects a clear and shared understanding by society of what is legally permissible–murder and theft are two good examples. But sometimes the law is…
If it has been more than ten years since you’ve tried Cannabis, a trip to a modern-day dispensary might leave you a bit confused. Of course, you would recognize the green, leafy buds of the Cannabis plant, now referred to by budtenders as “flower.” But stashed beneath the glass and bright lights, you will also…
This month’s issue of Maryland Leaf covers the broad topic of “Leisure” and focuses on the activities enjoyed by people during recreation while using cannabis. This issue explores the activities and classic cultural references that have spread due to the broad, popular appeal of cannabis around the world. But as I sat down to recount…
On 2nd December 2020, the United Nation’s Commission on Narcotic Drugs (“CND”), the drug policy making body of the United Nations, voted to re-classify Cannabis and Cannabis resin from its current listing in Schedule IV (alongside dangerous drugs such as heroin, fentanyl analogues and other opioids) to Schedule I (which are drugs still subject to…