Maryland governor will sign bill decriminalizing marijuana

By Jeremy Bauer-Wolf | Maryland Reporter

After a long-waged political battle, Gov. Martin O’Malley has indicated he will sign a bill that removes criminal penalties for possession of 10 grams of marijuana or less.

The General Assembly OK’ed the measure on the last day of the 90-day session Monday. With no debate, the Senate voted Monday 34-8 to approve the bill, SB 364. The House of Delegates already approved the bill Saturday.

O’Malley told reporters Monday that he plans to sign the legislation.

“As a young prosecutor, I once thought that decriminalizing the possession of marijuana might undermine the public will necessary to combat drug violence and improve public safety,” O’Malley said in a statement. “I now think that decriminalizing possession of marijuana is an acknowledgement of the low priority that our courts, our prosecutors, our police, and the vast majority of citizens already attach to this transgression of public order and public health.”

at Maryland Reporter.