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Maryland Continues To Debate Legalizing Marijuana

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- DC is about to legalize marijuana---which means that Marylanders could travel just minutes to legally buy marijuana.

Christie Ileto explains this comes as Maryland fights its own battle over legalizing the drug.

Pot is hours from being legal in DC, but here it's still banned.

"That's another reason to consider while we're doing it here in Maryland," said Councilman Curt Anderson.

The cannibis controversy heats up for round three in Annapolis. Advocates are pushing to make it legal for those over 21 to have up to one ounce or six marijuana plants.

For Kevin Cranford, it's living a life in the cannibis closet.

"We're respectable adults during the day but we have this closeted side where we can only tell our closest friends how we actually enjoy our recreational time," Cranford said. "It's time we change the face of what a recreational user is."

"We're telling kids it's okay to smoke pot," said Mike Gimbel.

Critics argue it sends the wrong message.

"All the kids are going to flock to Washington, buy their pot and then bring it home," said Gimbel. "They'll be driving under the influence, bringing it to school. It's almost going to be like it's legal in Maryland but it's not."

As of last October, possessing even the smallest amount of marijuana no longer comes with jail time but is a civil violation.

"[Decriminalization wasn't enough] because it still left the criminal market," said Sara Love, ACLU. "There are still criminals selling to our children and in our schools."

Meaning regulation comes when it's legalized.

"If we produce it, grow it, we would have control over that market, control we don't have right now," Anderson said.

An uphill battle won in DC and now center stage in Maryland.

Alaska joined Washington and Colorado in legalizing recreation use of marijuana Tuesday. Oregon also passed an initiative to legalize pot; that goes into effect in July.

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