Maryland is set to become the 20th state to legalize marijuana for medical uses after lawmakers in the state's senate voted Monday 42-4 in favor of setting up a state-run commission that grants licenses to distribute the drug to approved patients.
The General Assembly has passed a law that allows caregivers of patients who use medical marijuana to possess up to an ounce of pot without being convicted of a crime.
The Kentucky legislature approved an industrial hemp bill Wednesday in the final hour of the session, but only after last-minute negotiations brought it back from the dead. Whether Gov. Steve Beshear (D) will sign it remains to be seen.
For years, patients in Maryland with intractable pain, chronic diseases or terminal diseases have lobbied lawmakers to legalize the medical use of marijuana to ease their symptoms.
And then there were two. On Monday, December 10, 2012, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper signed an executive order certifying last month's Amendment 64 victory and legalizing the use, possession, and limited cultivation of marijuana by adults 21 and over.
As of Monday, marijuana is legal in the state of Colorado. Governor John Hickenlooper has signed an official proclamation making Amendment 64, the voter-passed amendment that legalizes possession of up to an ounce of marijuana, part of the state’s Constitution.