Baltimore Police Warn Of Cannabis Impaired Driving & More Ahead Maryland's Adult-Use Launch

With July 1 approaching, Marylanders must be excited because that’s the date recreational weed becomes legal in the Free State.

In May, Maryland Governor Wes Moore signed six bills into law in Annapolis and one of them was Senate Bill 516, Cannabis Reform legislation. The law regulates the sale of cannabis, imposes a tax on the sale of adult-use cannabis at 9%, establishes the Maryland Cannabis Administration as an independent unit of state government, and more.

In preparing for the new rules, the Baltimore County Police Department is urging motorists to recognize the risks connected to marijuana-impaired driving and to be careful, writes Fox Baltimore.

Police highlighted that cannabis use can cause:

• Impair driving;
• Negatively impact reaction time;
• Negatively impact motor coordination;
• Negatively impact attention;

"Duration of cannabis intoxication/impairment can vary widely and is dependent on several factors, such as method of consumption, individual metabolism, other food, and drink consumed, etc.," police said, as reported by the outlet.

The department added that drivers should wait a minimum of six hours after consuming cannabis before getting behind the wheel, as per the recommendations from the state Medical Cannabis Commission.

Children’s Safety

Brian Schultz, a pediatric emergency medicine physician and medical toxicologist seeing patients at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore, wrote an op-ed piece with the intention of raising awareness about the dangers of edibles ending up in the hands of children.

“As July 1 approaches, I want to ensure that parents understand the harm that edible cannabis products can cause when they fall into the hands of young children,” Shultz wrote. “However, these unintended exposures are preventable. All edibles in the home should be hidden AND locked. One of the two is often not sufficient. Otherwise, some children’s insatiable desire to “get candy” at all costs will kick in, which might buy them a trip to the emergency department.”

Schulzt also highlighted that he regularly sees pediatric patients in the emergency department brought for evaluation after accidentally eating pot-infused edibles, and while most kids recover, sometimes they are admitted to a hospital or pediatric intensive care unit. Oftentimes, children end up eating “large amounts of highly potent products.”

Cannabis Odor

Another cannabis-related law that will be enacted on July 1, concerns marijuana scent. A bill proposed by Democratic delegate Charlotte Crutchfield, which prevents police from searching someone solely based on possession or odor of marijuana, became law in Maryland without Moore's signature.

This law prevents police officers from stopping someone or a car down to search for cannabis if the scent is present around them. If officers do conduct a search, any evidence found cannot be used in court, because the search was not legal.

It also reduces the fine for public cannabis consumption from $250 to $50 while restricting.

According to MJBiz, cannabis sales could reach $630 million in 2023 in the state. 

Photo: Benzinga edit with images by Kindel Media by Pexels and Sean Pavone by Shutterstock