Indopedia All Things Marijuana
The Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission experienced a serious shake-up last week, as Governor Larry Hogan replaced the majority of the commission’s members after the trouble-plagued launch of the state’s medical cannabis program. The governor appointed ten new members to the 16-member panel, filling three vacancies and replacing six members whose terms had expired. “It was time to move in a new direction,” said Doug Mayer, spokesperson for the governor.
Hogan added two more minority members to the agency, increasing the total number of minority commissioners to four. The commission will now have two African American members, one Hispanic member, and one member of Middle Eastern descent, according to Mayer. New appointees to the commission include a toxicologist, a pharmacist, a county state’s attorney, and a county sheriff.
The state’s medical marijuana program has suffered constant delays and accusations of misconduct and failures to consider racial diversity. None of the MMJ licenses that the commission granted were offered to minority business owners, leading the state Legislative Black Caucus to propose a bill that would have completely overhauled the cannabis…
