SB 516

Cannabis Reform

Sponsor: Brian J. Feldman (District 15)Committee: FinanceSubject: Alcoholic Beverages - Statewide BillsStatus: Approved by the Governor - Chapter 255 (as of Nov 9, 2023)

What this bill does

Official synopsis

Renaming the Alcohol and Tobacco Commission to be the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Cannabis Commission; establishing the Maryland Cannabis Administration as an independent unit of State government; establishing a regulatory and licensing system for adult-use cannabis; imposing the sales and use tax on the sale of adult-use cannabis at 9%; requiring the Administration, on or before July 1 2023, to convert medical cannabis licenses to licenses to operate a medical and adult-use cannabis business; etc.

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Analysis reads the bill text, the fiscal note, and the witness list. It is generated by Claude and reviewed by nobody, so check the source documents before you rely on it.

Testimony (167)

MGA witness list

FAV 13FavorableFWA 124Favorable with amendmentsUNF 8UnfavorableINFO 21Information only

Position	Witness	Organization	Testimony
FAV	Arikat, Loraine	1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East	Written (PDF)
FAV	Willner, Neil	American Trade Association for Cannabis and Hemp	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Collins, Carvillelobbyist	Columbia Gas of Maryland	Written (PDF)
FAV	Smothers, Eric	Eric L. Smothers	Oral
FAV	Coren, Ellen	Greater Bethesda Chamber of Commerce	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Kress, Williamlobbyist	Kress Hammen	Oral
FAV	Plante, Cecilia	Maryland Legislative Coalition	Position only
FAV	Forester, Dyana	Metro Washington Council AFL-CIO	Written (PDF)
FAV	Britt, Adiena	N/A	Position only
FAV	Borden, David	StoptheDrugWar.org	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Boston, Frank	Individual	Oral
FAV	Senator Feldman, Senator Feldmanlegislator	Individual	Oral
FAV	Sirkel, Robin	Individual	Position only
UNF	Hale, Lauralobbyist	American Heart Association	Written (PDF)
UNF	Swain, Ian	Charm City Hemp	Written (PDF)
UNF	Duffy, Suzanne	Concerned Citizen	Position only
UNF	Ferguson, Colby	Maryland Farm Bureau	Oral + Written (PDF)
UNF	Casper, Alekslobbyist	Individual	Written (PDF)
UNF	Roy, Debra	Individual	Oral + Written (PDF)
UNF	Waychoff, Amy	Individual	Position only
UNF	mcavoy, vince	Individual	Position only
FWA	Reiser, Stefanie	Acknowledge Farms, LLC	Oral + Written (PDF)
FWA	McCormick, J.D.	American Healthy Alternatives Association	Oral
FWA	Plaut, Arilobbyist	Boston Plaut Attorneys at Law	Oral
FWA	Parker, Richard	CBD Apothecary	Oral + Written (PDF)
FWA	Brown, Lawrence	Cannabis entreprenuer	Written (PDF)
FWA	Cohen Roth, Jacquie	CannabizMD + Tea Pad	Oral + Written (PDF)
FWA	Cannon, Christopher	Cannon Ball Dispensary	Oral + Written (PDF)
FWA	Arrington, Michaellobbyist	Capitol Connections, LLC	Oral
FWA	Carrington, Darrell	Carrington & Associates, LLC	Oral + Written (PDF)
FWA	Van Wingerden, Blake	Catoctin Hemp	Oral + Written (PDF)
FWA	Van Wingerden, Tyler	Catoctin Hemp	Oral + Written (PDF)
FWA	Stamp, Clay	Chair, State Emergency Medical Services Board	Written (PDF)
FWA	Shayotovich, Randy	Charm City Hemp	Oral + Written (PDF)
FWA	DeVan, Eugene	Charm City Hemp LLC	Oral + Written (PDF)
FWA	Rybczynski, Adam	City of Havre de Grace	Written (PDF)
FWA	Love, Hope	City of Seat Pleasant	Oral
FWA	McCarthy, Shireka	City of Seat Pleasant	Oral
FWA	Porter, Kelly	City of Seat Pleasant	Oral
FWA	Wright, James	City of Seat Pleasant	Oral
FWA	Weber, Kristin	Cognivue	Written (PDF)
FWA	Quincosa, Jessica	Community Legal Services of Prince George's County, Inc.	Position only
FWA	Parsley, Luciene	Disability Rights Maryland	Written (PDF)
FWA	Mariast, Steven	Dispensary Works, LLC	Written (PDF)
FWA	Rosoff, Jody	Docs	Oral + Written (PDF)
FWA	Bibart, James "Ted"	Element MD, LLC	Oral + Written (PDF)
FWA	Iwomi, Nkechi	Element MD, LLC	Oral + Written (PDF)
FWA	Batten, John	Fiddlers Green Farm LLC	Oral + Written (PDF)
FWA	Nussbaum, Justin	Fingerboard Farm	Written (PDF)
FWA	Moyer, Carol	GASP	Oral + Written (PDF)
FWA	Smith, Calvin	Gas Guide	Oral + Written (PDF)
FWA	Toskov, Tony	Green Point Wellness	Written (PDF)
FWA	Simpson, Lauren	Greenwave	Written (PDF)
FWA	Davis, Robert	Hi Tide Dispensary - OC Botanicals LLC	Written (PDF)
FWA	Brock, Jenlobbyist	High Street Strategies	Written (PDF)
FWA	Chaney, Anna	Honey’s Harvest Farm	Oral + Written (PDF)
FWA	Fithian, Ronald	Kent County Board of Commissioners	Oral
FWA	Grandpre, Lawrence	Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle	Oral + Written (PDF)
FWA	Love, Dayvon	Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle	Oral
FWA	Garrison, Kory	Live Rite CBD	Oral

Showing 60 of 166

Organizations on record

1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers EastFAV 1

Acknowledge Farms, LLCFWA 1

American Healthy Alternatives AssociationFWA 1

American Heart AssociationUNF 1

American Trade Association for Cannabis and HempFAV 1

Associated Builders and ContractorsINFO 1

Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC)INFO 1

BGEINFO 1

Boston Plaut Attorneys at LawFWA 1

Cannabis entreprenuerFWA 1

CannabizMD + Tea PadFWA 1

Cannon Ball DispensaryFWA 1

Capitol Connections, LLCFWA 1

Carrington & Associates, LLCFWA 1

Catoctin HempFWA 2

CBD ApothecaryFWA 1

Chair, State Emergency Medical Services BoardFWA 1

Charm City HempFWA 1UNF 1

Charm City Hemp LLCFWA 1

citizenINFO 2

City of Havre de GraceFWA 1

City of Seat PleasantFWA 4

CognivueFWA 1

Columbia Gas of MarylandFAV 1

Community Legal Services of Prince George's County, Inc.FWA 1

Concerned CitizenUNF 1

Disability Rights MarylandFWA 1

Dispensary Works, LLCFWA 1

DocsFWA 1

Element MD, LLCFWA 2

Eric L. SmothersFAV 1

Evans & Associates, LLCINFO 1

Ferguson Trenching Co IncINFO 1

Fiddlers Green Farm LLCFWA 1

Fingerboard FarmFWA 1

Gas GuideFWA 1

GASPFWA 1

Greater Bethesda Chamber of CommerceFAV 1

Green Point WellnessFWA 1

GreenwaveFWA 1

Hi Tide Dispensary - OC Botanicals LLCFWA 1

High Street StrategiesFWA 1

Honey’s Harvest FarmFWA 1

Kent County Board of CommissionersFWA 1

Kress HammenFAV 1

Leaders of a Beautiful StruggleFWA 2

Live Rite CBDFWA 1

M-NCPPC - Governement Affairs LiaisonINFO 1

Manis Canning and AssociatesFWA 1

Marijuana Policy ProjectFWA 1

Maryland Access to Justice CommissionFWA 1

Maryland Association of Counties (MACo)FWA 1

Maryland Chamber of CommerceINFO 1

Maryland Department of CommerceFWA 1

Maryland Farm BureauUNF 1

Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute at the University of MarylandFWA 1

Maryland Healthy Alternatives AssociationFWA 1

Maryland Institute for EMS Systems (MIEMSS)FWA 1

Maryland Legal AidFWA 1

Maryland Legal Services CorporationFWA 1

Maryland Legislative CoalitionFAV 1

Maryland Medical Cannabis CommissionFWA 1

Maryland Medical Dispensary Association / Peake ReLeafFWA 1

Maryland Motor Truck AssociationINFO 1

Maryland Municipal LeagueFWA 1

Maryland NORMLFWA 1

Maryland Out of School Time NetworkINFO 1

Maryland Public Health AssociationFWA 1

Maryland Retailers AssociationFWA 1

Maryland State & DC AFL-CIOFWA 2

Maryland State Firefighter's AssociationFWA 1

Maryland State Treasurer's OfficeINFO 1

MDMDA & StarBuds BaltimoreFWA 1

MediCanna LLC d/b/a/ Elevated Wellness SolutionsFWA 1

MERIDIAN MANAGEMENT GROUP, INC.-TESTIFYFWA 1

Metro Washington Council AFL-CIOFAV 1

MHAAFWA 2

Mid-Shore Pro BonoFWA 1

Minorities 4 Medical MarijuanaFWA 1

Montgomery CountyINFO 1

Montgomery County GovernmentFWA 1

N/AFAV 1

National Clinical Director ConsortiumFWA 2

NCADD-MarylandINFO 1

OAG/HEAUFWA 1

Organic RemediesFWA 1

ParentINFO 1

Pepco/DPLINFO 1

PERRY WHITE ROSS & JACOBSONFWA 1

Pica & Associates, LLCFWA 1

Pinnacle StrategiesFWA 1

Prince George's County CouncilFWA 1

Pro Bono Resource CenterFWA 1

Reason FoundationINFO 1

Resynate, LLCFWA 1

RWLFWA 1

StoptheDrugWar.orgFAV 1

Strib'ble District LLC, MDNORMLFWA 1

SunX Analytical, LLCFWA 1

the bean team company LLCFWA 1

The DispensaryFWA 1

Toasted LLCFWA 1

Town of Chesapeake BeachFWA 1

Trilogy Wellness of Maryland, LLCFWA 1

TrueNorth Naturals LLCFWA 1

UFCW 400FWA 1

United Empowerment PartyFWA 1

United Food and Commercial Workers InternationalFWA 1

Uplift MarylandFWA 1

Urban Reads BookstoreFWA 1

Veterans Initiative 22FWA 1

Vote HempFWA 1

VS StrategiesFWA 2

WaaveFWA 1

West Street StrategiesFWA 1

Registered lobbyists who testified

FAVCollins, CarvilleColumbia Gas of MarylandRegistered for: Artesian Resources Corporation; Columbia Gas of Maryland; Maryland Employers for Civil Justice Reform Coalition; Pepco Holdings, LLC.; Health Facilities Association of Maryland; General Motors LLC…

FAVKress, WilliamKress HammenRegistered for: Alliance for Automotive Innovation; Amazon.com Services, LLC; Apple Inc.; Boyd Gaming Corporation; Centers for Better Insurance, LLC; Coalition of Maryland Title Insurers…

UNFHale, LauraAmerican Heart AssociationRegistered for: American Heart Association

UNFCasper, AleksRegistered for: American Lung Association

FWAPlaut, AriBoston Plaut Attorneys at LawRegistered for: ADT, LLC dba ADT Security Services; Altria Client Services LLC and its Affiliates - Philip Morris USA Inc., John Middleton Co., U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co., Helix Innovations LLC & NJOY, LLC; Amazon.com Services, Inc c/o Frank D. Boston III, Attorney at Law; Baltimore City Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 3; CoinFlip; Crown MD Online Gaming LLC…

FWAArrington, MichaelCapitol Connections, LLCRegistered for: Bulldog Group LLC, The; RPJ Towing and Recovery; Sphere Entertainment Group, LLC; Stellar IT Solutions; Swamibapa1 LLC; TIS Foundation, Inc. / Motir Services, Inc.…

FWABrock, JenHigh Street StrategiesRegistered for: Oceantic Network; KaBoom, Inc.; City of Salisbury; US Wind, Inc.; Greater Baden Medical Services; CI Renewables…

FWANaugle, OliviaMarijuana Policy ProjectRegistered for: Marijuana Policy Project

FWATilburg, WilliamMaryland Medical Cannabis CommissionRegistered for: University of Maryland Medical System

FWAlocklair, caileyMaryland Retailers AssociationRegistered for: HPSO Investments LLC, T/A Riverboat on the Potomac; Maryland Retailers Alliance; Maryland Retailers Association

FWAWivell, BrianMaryland State & DC AFL-CIORegistered for: Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1300

FWAPOUNDS, EDDIEPERRY WHITE ROSS & JACOBSONRegistered for: 28 Walker Avenue; AT&T; Affiliated Sante Group; Altria Client Services LLC and its Affiliates - Philip Morris USA Inc., John Middleton Co., U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co., Helix Innovations LLC & NJOY, LLC; Anheuser-Busch Companies; Anne Arundel County Food Bank…

FWAPica, JohnPica & Associates, LLCRegistered for: Allied Universal; Automated Health Systems; Benelli USA c/o Pica & Associates, LLC; Beretta USA; Center for the Visual and Performing Arts, Inc.; Chesapeake Employers' Insurance Company…

FWACramer Wagner, MaryPinnacle StrategiesRegistered for: Cecil County Government; Center for Election Science; International Responder Systems; Maryland Workforce Association; Grow West MD LLC; Toro Management, LLC…

FWAJohansen, MichaelRWLRegistered for: 1/ST Racing MD LLC; ASC Engineered Solutions; Access Holdings Management Company, LLC; Alterwood Health, Inc.; Ashley, Inc.; Baltimore Streetcar Museum…

FWAMock, KaylaUFCW 400Registered for: United Food & Commercial Workers Union Local 400

FWASmith, DanielVS StrategiesRegistered for: LeafLink; Cognivue, Inc.

FWAWellington, JordanVS StrategiesRegistered for: Cognivue, Inc.

FWADiehl, AbigailWest Street StrategiesRegistered for: MariMed Inc.

FWAAlston, BryanRegistered for: Maryland Alliance of State Aided Organizations; Baltimore City Community College; CHA, Inc. dba Mary & Main Dispensary; Bon Secours Community Works; B-360 Baltimore; GEDCO (Govans Ecumenical Development Corporation)…

FWABagwell, AshlieRegistered for: AbbVie Inc.; Aligned Data Centers; American Academy of Anesthesiology Assistants, Inc.; Atmosphere Data Centers LLC; Baltimore Civic Fund, Inc.; Beltway Fine Wine…

FWABellamy, LorenzoRegistered for: ACLU of Maryland; Alliance for Responsible Consumer Legal Funding; American Forest & Paper Association; Americans for Patient Access; Avaya, Inc.; Bellamy Genn Group, LLC…

FWABinetti, RickRegistered for: WGL Energy Services, Inc.; Mayor and City of Baltimore, The; Catoctin Farms; Honey's Harvest Farm; Acknowledge Farms; Irvine Natural Science Center, Inc.…

FWAGlassman, BarryRegistered for: AFT Maryland; Aligned Data Centers; Associated Builders & Contractors; Baltimore Industrial Group; Center for Ecosystem Recovery; Earth Funeral Group, Inc.…

FWAHawkins, JarrydRegistered for: Greater Baden Medical Services; Trulieve, Inc.; City of Salisbury; Waterkeepers Chesapeake; Bike Maryland; KaBoom, Inc.…

FWAbinetti, rickRegistered for: WGL Energy Services, Inc.; Mayor and City of Baltimore, The; Catoctin Farms; Honey's Harvest Farm; Acknowledge Farms; Irvine Natural Science Center, Inc.…

INFOJackson, MarcusAssociated Builders and ContractorsRegistered for: Associated Builders & Contractors

INFOQuinn, JohnBGERegistered for: Baltimore Gas and Electric Company

INFOClark, RachelEvans & Associates, LLCRegistered for: Accenture LLP; Arundel Amusements/Bingo World; Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence; CALSTART; Carvana; Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 89…

INFOGriffin, AndrewMaryland Chamber of CommerceRegistered for: Alliance to Prevent Legionnaire's Disease; American Subcontractors Association of Baltimore; Annapolis Maritime Museum & Park; Associated Utility Contractors of Maryland; Experience Prince George's; Howard County Chamber of Commerce…

INFOCampion, LouisMaryland Motor Truck AssociationRegistered for: Maryland Motor Truck Association

INFOKlase, AnnePepco/DPLRegistered for: Pepco Holdings, LLC.; Pepco Holdings, Inc.

INFODeLong, AshtonRegistered for: MedChi, The Maryland State Medical Society; Maryland Neurosurgical Society, Inc.

INFOMehu, NatashaRegistered for: Maryland Hospital Association; Maryland Patient Care and Access Coalition; Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants; Maryland Academy of Advanced Practice Clinicians; Baltimore Washington Rapid Rail, LLC; Maryland Works, Inc.…

INFOPrice, SarahRegistered for: Maryland Retailers Alliance; Maryland Retailers Association