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Maryland leads the nation in progressive
drug policy
BY ALEX MENESES MIYASHITA
Capital News Service—Maryland's
recent medical-marijuana law is the latest of several drug
policy reforms that have made the state one of the leaders
in relaxing harsh drug laws, according to a report released
Sept. 16.
The report by the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) said Maryland
has voted to restore voting rights to felons who complete
sentences for a first-time drug offense, to ban racial profiling,
and to allow research into industrial uses for hemp. The state
has also opted out of a federal welfare ban for former drug
offenders.
The alliance supports alternative ways of regulating drug
policies, and blames the federal government for failed policies
to combat the war on drugs. Its report praised Maryland and
other states that have passed three or more reform measures
since 1996.
"We see a tremendous movement across the nation,"
said Ethan Nadelmann, DPA's director. He said the bipartisan
work for reform was unthinkable a few years ago.
But federal officials do not agree that that movement is
headed in the right direction. Tom Riley of the Office of
National Drug Control Policy said that millions of dollars
are spent every year studying drugs, but there has been no
scientific evidence found to support the health benefits of
marijuana.
"We have an obligation to follow science, not mythology,"
Riley said. "They're using sick people to advance their
own agendas."
Maryland became one of only two east coast states that supports
medical marijuana, after Gov. Robert Ehrlich signed a bill
last spring that protects patients with serious illnesses,
such as cancer or AIDS, from possession charges if they are
caught using the drug for medical purposes.
Although the bill does not fully legalize medical marijuana,
it is the first time a Republican governor has signed a bill
allowing some leeway in the way the drug is regulated.
Donald Murphy, a former Republican delegate from Baltimore
County and the driving force behind the bill, is hopeful.
"It's very encouraging," he said. I see a bright
future for drug policies, because it's clearly going to be
very bipartisan."
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