OCEAN CITY, Md. — A tour of Ocean City’s boardwalk lead to an insightful conversation with Maryland Governor Wes Moore on Tuesday, June 27th. We asked him about the upcoming legalization of marijuana for recreational use.
We also spoke with Governor Moore about local towns, like Ocean City, establishing cannabis moratoriums. Moore said he feels the people of Maryland have made their voices heard on this matter.
“I think the people of the state spoke very clearly last November that they wanted a recreational market opened up,” said Moore. “And we’re proud of the fact that we’ve been able to get it done and get it done quickly.”
Moore said moving pots legalization forward at a fast pace, while being equitable and transparent was important in ensuring black market sales would not surface.
One thing yet to be established, however, are rules and regulations for recreational businesses. It’s why Ocean City’s mayor, Rick Meehan, said the town will take a breather for the time being. Waiting for legislation to pass while keeping an eye on any potential changes to their zoning codes.
“There’s a process that has to be followed, we just wanted to make sure we passed the resolution so that we would have that time and nothing would happen in the interim,” said Meehan.
It’s also why the town has banned on-site consumption.
“They[Maryland lawmakers] did give the municipalities and the jurisdictions the right to not issue consumption licenses,” said Meehan. “Which we took advantage of that opportunity, we don’t think it’s in the best interest for the health, safety, welfare right now of Ocean City.”
Moore said this process has been and will continue to be a collaborative effort.
“We’re working closely with our local municipalities to make sure that we’re both honoring the law that was passed by the General Assembly and at the same time making sure all the other guidelines that we’ve laid out are being followed,” said Moore.
Now, Ocean City’s moratorium does not mean we will not be able to have weed in the resort town. Existing medical dispensaries will be allowed to sell to recreational users as of July 1st.
You could read more of this CBS News article here.