POLL: Majority of Marylanders Support Marijuana Legalization // PLUS: Montgomery Democrats Rally for Minimum Wage Hike

Ahead of the 2014 legislative session, Maryland Juice has been tracking the activities of advocacy groups and activists in the state. It seems clear that there is a lot of organizing happening behind two policy areas: ending the War on Drugs and increasing the minimum wage. Below we provide updates on both issues, including a new poll on marijuana reform and coverage of a press conference yesterday on raising the state's minimum wage.

JUICE #1: STRONG MAJORITY OF MARYLAND VOTERS SUPPORT MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION - This morning, Maryland Juice received the following press release from the ACLU and the Marijuana Policy Project announcing new poll results showing a majority of Maryland voters support taxing and regulating marijuana in the same manner we treat alcohol sales. Meanwhile, a supermajority support removing jail time as a penalty for possession (details below):

PRESS RELEASE

Poll: Majority of Maryland Voters Support Regulating and Taxing Marijuana; Only 38% Opposed

More than two-thirds support removing criminal penalties for marijuana possession and replacing them with a civil fine similar to a parking ticket

Statements below from the ACLU of Maryland and the Marijuana Policy Project

BALTIMORE — A majority of Maryland voters (53%) support making marijuana legal for adults and regulating it like alcohol, according to a survey conducted last weekend by Public Policy Polling. Only 38% said they were opposed.

The poll also found that more than two-thirds (68%) support removing criminal penalties for possession of up to one ounce of marijuana and replacing them with a civil offense punishable by a fine of up to $100 with no possibility of jail time. Only 26% said they were opposed. Under current Maryland law, it is a criminal offense for a person to possess a small amount of marijuana, and he or she can be sentenced to up to 90 days in jail and fined up to $500.

The survey of 678 randomly selected Maryland voters was conducted September 27-29 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8%. The full results are available at http://www.aclu-md.org/press_room/147.

Statement from Rachelle Yeung, legislative analyst for the Marijuana Policy Project:

"Most Maryland voters recognize that marijuana prohibition has failed and believe it is time to adopt a more sensible approach. By regulating marijuana like alcohol we can take marijuana sales out of the underground market and put them behind the counters of legitimate, tax-paying businesses. Marijuana is objectively less harmful than alcohol, and it is time to treat it that way."

Statement from Sara Love, public policy director for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Maryland:

"Our current marijuana prohibition policies are grossly ineffective. It's time to take a commonsense approach to public safety and criminal justice. We should not be wasting resources arresting people simply for possessing marijuana. Enforcement of these misguided marijuana laws is having a disproportionate and detrimental impact on communities of color. A majority of voters agree it is time for a change."

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POLL: Majority of Maryland Voters Support Marijuana Legalization

JUICE #2: MONTGOMERY COUNTY ELECTED OFFICIALS ANNOUNCE SUPPORT FOR MARYLAND MINIMUM WAGE HIKE -Yesterday, advocates supporting a minimum wage hike in Maryland gathered in Takoma Park for a press conference announcing support from a range of elected officials. Speakers at the Raise Maryland event included County Executive Ike Leggett, Sen. Jamie Raskin, Del. Anne Kaiser, and County Councilmembers Marc Elrich and Valerie Ervin. Other attendees included Del. Sheila Hixson, and representatives from CASA, Jews United for Justice, Progressive Maryland, AFSCME and more. Below Maryland Juice provides photos and a press release from, Raise Maryland:

VIEW MD JUICE'S PRESS CONFERENCE PHOTOS

PRESS RELEASE

Montgomery County elected officials pledge to raise Maryland’s minimum wage
Momentum is building for an increase to $10.10 per hour by 2016 for state’s lowest paid workers
Takoma Park, MD – Montgomery County legislators are pledging to pass a bill raising the state’s minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 per hour during the 2014 Maryland General Assembly. On October 1, the Montgomery County Council unanimously passed a resolution supporting raising the rate for the state’s lowest wage workers.

At a press conference in Takoma Park, Del. Anne Kaiser and Sen. Jamie Raskin, co-chairs of the Montgomery County legislative delegation detailed why they believe that it is the right time to increase the minimum wage in Maryland.  Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett and Montgomery County Council members Valerie Ervin and Marc Elrich also spoke at the event.

“Raising the minimum wage is a top priority for the upcoming legislative session. And it’s not enough to just pass any minimum wage increase,” said Sen. Raskin. “We will be advocating for a strong bill that raises the rate to $10.10, indexes the minimum wage to inflation and includes a raise for tipped workers.”

The proposed legislation would raise Maryland’s minimum wage in three steps to $10.10 per hour by 2016 and index it to the cost of living thereafter so that it doesn’t lose value over time. The legislation also incorporates an increase for tipped workers (from 50 percent to 70 percent of the prevailing minimum wage).

“It is time for the General Assembly to act on wages, to raise the standard for all workers,” said Del. Kaiser. “That includes tipped workers – restaurant workers, barbers, nail technicians, car wash employees – everyone who depends on tips as part of their income.”

Momentum is building for Maryland to increase the state’s minimum wage during the upcoming 2014 session of the Maryland General Assembly.  The Baltimore City Council also recently passed a unanimous resolution calling for an increase and each of the Democratic 2014 gubernatorial candidates have announced their support for a raise.

“With passage of this resolution, Montgomery County stands united in support of higher pay for our workers and building our county and state economy,” said County Executive Leggett. “An increase will also stimulate business and spending and we always welcome more business here in Montgomery County.”

The press conference was held at Capital City Cheesecake, a café and bakery in Takoma Park.  Meaghan Murphy, who owns the business with her sister, spoke in support of a wage increase. “Even though it’s a challenge to meet this higher wage, at the end of the day we’re not in business for solely our own benefit,” said Murphy. “We shouldn’t be in business if we can’t provide another dollar or more per hour to our workers.”

Councilman member Elrich, who introduced the measure, also addressed concerns about small business, saying, “We hear from the business lobby that a raise in the minimum wage will hurt business. They say that it’s a job killer and small businesses will be most affected. In fact, across Maryland, 71 percent of all low-wage workers are employed by businesses with more than 50 employees, like big box retailers and fast food restaurants.”

“We talk about understanding the face of poverty, but it faces we see every day in Montgomery County – working families trying to put food on the table, ensure a quality education for their kids and keep up with bill payments,” said Ervin. “With one of the highest standards of living in the state, we are leaving our low wage workers behind.”

A low-wage worker, Wilfred Mokoko, also spoke at the event, detailing the struggles he faces living on the minimum wage.  “At the start, the wages were fair, but as the cost of living has increased, I saw my wages were too low. The Ride On bus fare has increased from $1.20 to $1.80.  To many people these changes do not make a difference, but they matter to me. Some weeks, I spend more than $20 on bus transportation. When you make $7.25 an hour, this really hurts.”

Research has found that approximately 472,000 Marylanders would benefit from the increase, putting $466 million more in their pockets in the next two years. At the same time, businesses would benefit from nearly half a billion dollars in new consumer spending and would create more than 4,000 new full-time jobs as they expand to meet increased demand.

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Raise Maryland is a diverse coalition of community, labor, immigrant, civil rights and faith organizations that seek to pass a statewide minimum wage increase and index it to inflation.

Maryland Senate Votes to Decriminalize Pot Possession While House Approves Medical Marijuana // ROLL CALL ANALYSIS

UPDATE: Maryland Juice just received the following legislative tidbit from a reader on Facebook encouraging Marylanders to contact Delegate Joe Vallario and urge him to stop holding up marijuana decriminalization:  joseph.vallario@house.state.md.us or (410) 841-3488.

READER: Students for Sensible Drug Policy sent out an email blast calling on its MD members to "Urge Chairman Vallario to pass marijuana decriminalization in Maryland" etc. with some indication that he as the committee chairman "has been the main obstacle to passing positive marijuana legislation in Maryland." Let's hope this common sense reform makes it through!

Reforms to Maryland's draconian laws regarding marijuana are finally advancing in the State Senate and House of Delegates. After years of severe lag-time, Maryland Democrats have finally caught on that the world is moving on after blindly experimenting with the last generation's failed "War on Drugs."

Maryland currently spends roughly $226 million a year on marijuana enforcement -- with little meaningful impact on the public's use of recreational drugs.  Meanwhile, young Marylanders and people of color are arbitrarily and disproportionately welcomed into the criminal justice system, subjecting them to potential ineligibility for student loans and persistent problems finding employment.

MARYLAND SENATE APPROVES MARIJUANA DECRIMINALIZATION - Last week the Maryland Senate approved a bill to eliminate the possibility of jail terms for "de minimis" marijuana possession (aka a few joints or less). A bill sponsored by Senator Bobby Zirkin proposes to reduce the penalty for minor pot possession to no more than a $100 fine with no jail time at all. The bill was approved by a vote of 30-16 in a surprisingly smooth vote, and The Washington Post editorial board recently encouraged the House of Delegates to join the Senate in decriminalizing pot (excerpt below):

WASHINGTON POST: The Maryland Senate’s vote to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana would not, as some critics warn, make it okay to use the drug. Such use would still be illegal, but it would be a civil offense, punishable by fines rather than imprisonment. Not only would this save law enforcement valuable resources but also prevent the lives of many young people from being ruined. We hope the House of Delegates follows the Senate’s lead and that Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) signs this sensible measure into law....

Currently Maryland law allows for up to a shocking 90 days in prison and a $500 fine for possession of minor amounts of pot. But despite the common-sense nature of this "decriminalization" law, the vote to start ending the War on Drugs in Maryland revealed interesting divisions between lawmakers. You can see the full roll call online, but below Maryland Juice highlights a few notable tidbits.

NINE SENATE DEMOCRATS VOTED TO MAINTAIN 90 DAY JAIL TERMS FOR MARIJUANA - The vast majority of Senate Democrats voted to eliminate the possibility of 90 day jail terms for residents caught with small amounts of marijuana.  Democratic leaders --  including Senate President Mike Miller -- voted for marijuana decriminalization, and only nine of Maryland's thirty-five Democratic Senators voted to support continued incarceration of people caught with pot. But surprisingly, two of the "no" votes came from Senators Nancy King and Roger Manno, who represent liberal Montgomery County. Below you can see the nine Democratic Senators who voted against peeling back the War on Drugs in Maryland:

1. John Astle (Anne Arundel County)
2. Ed Degrange (Anne Arundel County)
3. Roy Dyson (Calvert, Charles & St. Mary's Counties)
4. Nancy King (Montgomery County)
5. Katherine Klausmeier (Baltimore County)
6. Roger Manno (Montgomery County)
7. Jim Mathias (Somerset, Wicomico & Worcester Counties)
8. Jim Robey (Howard County)
9. Norm Stone (Baltimore County)

SENATOR ROGER MANNO EXPLAINS VOTE TO MAINTAIN POSSIBILITY OF JAIL FOR POT POSSESSION - Interestingly, shortly after the historic marijuana reform vote, Senator Roger Manno explained to Maryland Juice why he voted to maintain possible 90 day jail terms for minor pot possession. Manno stated that he thought the War on Drugs was a failure but that it was arbitrary to only roll back penalties on marijuana. I'm still a little confused by this argument, but if drug reform advocates take Senator Manno at his word, that means he should be approached to sponsor an even larger unraveling of the War on Drugs in Maryland  -- perhaps a bill that comprehensively audits and revisits jail terms assigned to all cases of simple possession?


NEARLY 50% OF REPUBLICAN SENATORS VOTED AGAINST 90 DAY JAIL TERMS FOR POT - While some Democrats struggled to stay on top of shifting public sentiment on marijuana, the Republicans are beginning to catch on. Notably, five out of twelve Republican Senators (or nearly 50%) voted to eliminate the threat of 90 day jail terms for minor pot possession:

1. David Brinkley (Carroll & Frederick Counties)
2. Richard Colburn (Caroline, Dorchester, Talbot & Wicomico Counties)
3. Nancy Jacobs (Cecil & Harford Counties)
4. Alan Kittleman (Carroll & Howard Counties)
5. Ed Reilly (Anne Arundel County)

MEANWHILE, MD SENATE VOTES TO MAKE POSSESSION OF SYNTHETIC MARIJUANA PUNISHABLE BY FOUR YEARS IN JAIL - In one of the signs of how dysfunctional and irrational drug policy is in America, only days after the Maryland Senate voted overwhelmingly to decriminalize pot possession -- Senators also voted unanimously to make possession of synthetic marijuana punishable by up to four years in prison. Last week, Maryland Senators voted to add synthetic marijuana to the state's list of "Schedule I" substances -- making simple possession a crime that could land you in jail for years. This may have been a pro-forma step to conform Maryland's criminal code with the Federal Schedule I, but we are already beginning to move away from compliance with Barack Obama's broken campaign promises on drug reform. One step forward, two steps back on ending the failed War on Drugs in Maryland? Oy!


MARYLAND HOUSE FINALLY APPROVES MODEST MEDICAL MARIJUANA LAW - While the Maryland Senate was busy decriminalizing possession of minor amounts of pot, the House of Delegates was debating whether to allow medical marijuana in Maryland. But today they finally voted to approve a modest program to allow distribution of marijuana for medical purposes. The medical marijuana bill passed by a whopping margin in a 108 to 28 vote. The Capital Gazette reported on the break in the logjam (excerpt below):

CAPITAL GAZETTE: The House of Delegates passed a bill Monday to allow a small number of academic medical centers to distribute marijuana to patients beginning in 2016. Delegates voted 108-28 to pass House Bill 1101, introduced by Del. Dan K. Morhaim, D-Baltimore County. The bill would create a commission through which academic medical research centers could apply to operate medical marijuana programs. The bill now heads to the Senate, where it could get a hearing as soon as this week....

With just 15 days left in the General Assembly's 90-day session, marijuana will be an important issue in both chambers. On Thursday, the House Judiciary Committee is expected to take up Senate Bill 297, which would decriminalize possession of less than 10 grams of marijuana. The Senate passed that bill on March 19....

THERE'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING IN THE AIR - Most Americans consider the War on Drugs a policy failure, and Maryland Juice has been pointing out for months that a super-majority of Democrats and liberals nationally now support full-on taxation and regulation of pot (even Senate President Mike Miller). Indeed, a 2012 Huffington Post/YouGov opinion survey confirmed the clear shift in attitudes:

HUFFINGTON POST: A solid majority of Americans support legalizing marijuana, either with or without taxes and regulations similar to those imposed on alcoholic beverages, according to a new survey conducted by YouGov for The Huffington Post.

The poll found that 51 percent of adults support legalizing, taxing and regulating marijuana like alcohol.... Only 26 percent of respondents said that marijuana should not be legalized.... Those under age 29 and between ages 45 and 64 were most likely to support legalization pure and simple...

The poll found more variation among people of different political parties. Sixty-four percent of Democrats ...  said they supported legalization with taxes and regulations. Overall, opposition was highest among Republicans, but even so, more Republicans favored one of the two legalization options (47 percent) than opposed legalization entirely (44 percent).

A 2011 Gallup poll also verified new majority support for marijuana reform and noted that a whopping 69% of liberals support the legalization effort. Check out a few summary tables below:

Are Maryland politicians figuring out that public sentiment has changed? More on the War on Drugs soon!

VIDEO: Gov. Martin O'Malley Releases Video Statement Regarding May 14th Special Session // Other Options for August

Today, Gov. Martin O'Malley released a video statement outlining his reasons for calling for a special legislative session next Monday, May 14th:





BACKGROUND: As you likely know, the legislature ended its 2012 session last month, but Senators and Delegates failed to reach agreement on key policy matters, including whether to expand casino gaming into Prince George's County. As a result, State legislative leaders and the Governor agreed to hold two special sessions, one next week and one in August to deal with gaming issues.

In the video above, Gov. O'Malley outlines numerous reasons why we need a special session to generate additional revenue for Maryland (aka increase taxes). He notes that Maryland has for four years in a row had the best public schools in the nation and is only 1 of 8 states with a AAA bond rating. But police, teachers, and transportation cost money. This used to be an obvious point, but even Democrats these days seem scared of taxes -- too scared if you ask me. When did we all buy into the Bush-Cheney-Tea Party dream of a hobbled government?

Notably, Gov. O'Malley's video message also calls for citizen feedback: "We need to hear from you. Your elected officials need to hear from you." Tweet Feedback on Special Session Priorities to #MDForward


BETTER ISSUES THAN GAMBLING FOR AUGUST: Maryland Juice's two cents? Pass your revenue package next week, and then use the August special session for something good (aka not gambling). How about examining why it is that Maryland spends so much time and money sniffing out drug violations in its African American community:

Source: Justice Policy Institute, Race & Incarceration in Maryland - 2003.

STOP WASTING MONEY JAILING NON-VIOLENT DRUG OFFENDERS: If you think the over-incarceration and lack of economic opportunities for African Americans (and plenty of other groups) in Maryland isn't a fiscal issue, think again. In one of the most well-educated states in the nation, we continue to grandfather nonsense policymaking into our legislature and state agencies. Um, why?

If you want yet another suggestion for something to work on in August, how about finally repealing the death penalty in Maryland?

RETWEET

Coming Soon: (Medical) Marijuana in Maryland

The Washington Times has this story on marijuana in Maryland:

A Maryland commission will take its first step Wednesday toward developing a plan to legalize medical marijuana in the state...

Medical marijuana has received increasing bipartisan support in Maryland's Democrat-controlled General Assembly, with legislators even floating a proposal this year to set up a state-run production and distribution system.

For numerous reasons (ie: overcrimimalization, race disparities, ineffectiveness of the drug war), I'm disappointed to see the Obama administration backing off on drug reform. That's why it is encouraging to see Maryland moving forward on this.