Medical Marijuana in MD

March 27, 2003 6:11 AM

Maryland voted to reduce penalities on folks who smoke marijuana for medical purposes. It's passed the house and is on it's way to becoming law!
posted by cpfeifer (10 comments total)

This bill simultaneously acknowledges that some people need marijuana for medical purposes, and punishes them for using it.

I'm all for legalizing pot, but this has to be one of the silliest things I have seen in a long, long time.
posted by spazzm at 6:27 AM on March 27, 2003

I'm in MD. Realistically, it is is a way for the police to have more fine-tuned control over how they enforce the law. It gives the cop on the street some discretion on what ticket he writes. This allows legitimate users to technically break the law, without much fear of reprisal so long as he keeps it discrete no ones going to beat your door down to write a $100 ticket. The law is a pragmatic solution to a problem. MD would never come out and say pot is legal and allow it to be smoked in public that is too radical, this is the East Coast. However if someone is abusing the law, most likely by not being discrete like lighting up in a bar the cops have an option to write tickets.
posted by stbalbach at 6:57 AM on March 27, 2003

Why should people be discrete about taking their medicine?
Do we required diabetics to be discrete while injecting insulin, or else we slap a $100 fine on them?

I realize that this is a compromise, a step in the right direction and the work of a committee, but still ... sheesh.
posted by spazzm at 7:05 AM on March 27, 2003

the hydroponic goolge ads are off-the-hook for this one baby
posted by victors at 7:22 AM on March 27, 2003

"This allows legitimate users to technically break the law, without much fear of reprisal so long as he keeps it discrete no ones going to beat your door down to write a $100 ticket."

The problem with this sort of situation is that it can be selectively enforced on, say, poor people, people of color, people with bumper stickers the cop disagrees with, etc. The situation is already ridiculous. If you're a rich white college kid that gets caught using or selling drugs, do you think you're going to be treated the same as a poor black kid?

While it is necessary for cops and judges to be granted some discretion (we've all seen the "zero tolerance" horror stories) we need to ensure that we aren't just providing a venue for discrimination.
posted by callmejay at 7:57 AM on March 27, 2003

Baltimore is a really nice city....with a lot of crime, but still nice.
posted by troutfishing at 8:56 AM on March 27, 2003

I think we should lock up all of the caffeine and nicotine addicts.

That would really send a message on Drug War bullshit.
posted by mark13 at 12:14 PM on March 27, 2003

Does it matter that states pass legislation like this when it goes against the will of the federal government? Isn't Maryland just setting itself up for what happened in California with Ed Rosenthal?
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 1:12 PM on March 27, 2003

Why should people be discrete about taking their medicine?
Discreet, not discrete.

Looser.
posted by Wet Spot at 2:21 PM on March 27, 2003

Thank you, Wet Spot, for correcting my horrible misspelling.
You're clearly a better, more educated person than I.

Which is obviously why you spend your valuable time flaming spelling errors on MetaFilter.
posted by spazzm at 4:48 PM on March 27, 2003