Prince Frederick, MD – To no one’s surprise, proposed measures from the Calvert County Commissioners regarding medicinal marijuana sparked the most discussion Tuesday evening, Dec. 15. The commissioners formally presented 13 proposals for consideration during the 2016 Maryland General Assembly session.
Last week the commissioners voted 4-to-1 to request authority to deny approvals for growing, processing and/or dispensing medical marijuana in Calvert. If county officials are unable to obtain authority, they are asking the legislature to allow for a tax to be levied on medical marijuana enterprises. That tax would be collected and distributed to the county by state officials.
County Attorney John Norris stated the denial authority was being sought “in response to a lot of concerns.” The list includes potential criminal charges for local and state workers should the federal government opt to enforce its current marijuana prohibition. Under federal law, all marijuana is illegal.
In 2014, the Maryland General Assembly voted to make Maryland the nation’s 21st state to legalize medical marijuana.
“The federal government just might have this one right,” said Delegate Mark N. Fisher [R – District 27C], who told the commissioners “it’s not fair what the state has done to you.”
Delegate Anthony J. “Tony” O’Donnell [R – District 29C] told county officials that using their current zoning authority “is the way to get your hands around this.”
O’Donnell indicated he had an open mind when it came to the subject of legitimizing marijuana for medicinal purposes, such as an alternative for pain management. “We’re talking about medical use,” he said. “If someone in my family needed this to survive, I’m going to go get it for them.”
Fisher asked Norris if a medicinal marijuana enterprise would be able to open up a bank account. The attorney stated that would not be possible at a Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)-insured bank. Since that would likely mean the enterprise would be a cash-only business, Fisher opined that could put the community in peril should criminals “with Uzis” to forcibly seize the money. “I’m here to defend the people of Calvert County,” Fisher declared.
“There’s a whole lot more questions than answers at this point,” said Commissioner Mike Hart [R – District 1].
County resident Kevin Merillat, who heads a local syndicate called 840 Inc. which has applied for state permits to grow, process and dispense medicinal marijuana, criticized the commissioners for attempting to deny locals their right to obtain medicine. He noted his family has had a reputable business in Calvert for two generations and 840 Inc. “will work the same as any normal business.”
Kevin Merillat addresses the Calvert County Commissioners
“Not one person on this board is against anything that would help anyone with a sickness,” Commissioner Pat Nutter [R – District 2] declared. Nutter questioned Merillat in an attempt to receive assurances the distribution of medical marijuana would be handled the same way prescription medications are.
“This is a medication,” said Michelle Cleary of Dunkirk, who added the medicinal marijuana was a better alternative to opioids. “This is not a guy doing drugs. We’ve got a huge heroin problem in Calvert County. I am not worried about marijuana.”
Merillat also noted Congress passed the Rohrabacher-Farr Amendment which temporarily prohibits the U.S. Department of Justice from interfering with state medical marijuana operations. Norris countered by pointing out the tentative aspect of the measure. “It’s not a clearly settled law,” the attorney stated. “The county employees are not protected at all.”
On the proposal to levy a tax on medical marijuana enterprises in Calvert, Commissioners’ President Evan Slaughenhoupt Jr. [R] stated the public safety oversight needed to cope with such a venture means “there’s an expense associated with this.”
Merillat stated he and his 840 Inc. partners are not opposed to a nominal tax but called a suggested 20 percent levy “excessive. Come up with a reasonable number.”
“Forty million dollars in tax credits to Dominion [Liquefied Natural Gas Plant] and a 20 percent tax on medical cannabis seems outrageous,” stated Joe Seidel of Huntingtown.
The sometimes emotional discourse on medicinal marijuana was tempered towards the end of the evening by a statement from Maryland Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. [D – District 27], who told those attending the presentation at Calvert Pines Senior Center there was no guarantee such an operation will be licensed in Calvert. “There’s hundreds and hundreds of applications,” said Miller. “The program is a mess.”
The Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission will be processing the applications and is expected to announce their decisions on granting the limited number of licenses early next year.
Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com