Martin O'Malley and the Marijuana Legalization Listening Session

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Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, a candidate for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, sat down with leading marijuana law reform activists and cannabis industry insiders in Denver on Thursday.

At the meeting, billed as a “Marijuana Legalization Listening Session,” the candidate heard from military veterans who use medical cannabis, a former law enforcement officer who now supports legalization, dispensary owners and lawyers who specialize in marijuana laws.

“If you talk to young Americans under 30 there is a growing consensus that marijuana should be treated more akin to alcohol than to other substances,” he said. “There’s definitely a difference between marijuana and many other controlled substances.”

O’Malley also suggested that some tax revenues from legal marijuana sales could be used to help address the “heroin epidemic.”

The candidate reiterated his pledge to move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule II if elected. While President Obama has often said that rescheduling is a job for Congress, O’Malley “would reschedule it with executive authority that the president already has” and not wait for lawmakers to act. Sometimes, he said, “the executive has to exercise leadership and then the legislature can follow.”

read: http://www.marijuana.com/blog/news/2015/09/2016-contender-martin-omalley-courts-marijuana-activists/



Andrew Burton/Getty Images


In a visit to Denver, Democratic presidential candidate Martin O'Malley said he is looking to Colorado as he considers whether to support federal legalization of marijuana. But for now, he said, it's a step too far.

"I think we still have to watch, and we have to learn in Colorado and Washington state," he told reporters after a meeting with marijuana industry and legalization advocates Thursday. "I'm not there yet, but I am watching very closely what's happening."

In Maryland, O'Malley signed a bill to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana, making it a civil citation and fine for those caught with less than 10 grams. He also supported the state's legalization of medical marijuana.

In the meeting he asked a dozen or so questions about how it works in Colorado and the results after legalization in 2013.

"You didn't see everyone showing up three hours late for work every morning?" he asked with a smile.

read: http://www.denverpost.com/election/ci_28832902/democratic-candidate-martin-omalley-talks-marijuana-2016-campaign



Andrew Burton/Getty Images


Mr. O’Malley spoke to marijuana activists and state regulators in the offices of a marijuana-focused law firm just south of the state Capitol. He sat beneath a black-and-white photograph of a marquee declaring “Yes on 64,” shorthand for the constitutional amendment that legalized marijuana sales and use by adults 21 and over.

Those in the cannabis industry talked about the challenges of running all-cash businesses. Government officials described how they had created regulations for a brand-new market. Several people mentioned the exploding popularity of edible marijuana. (“Like Maureen Dowd,” Mr. O’Malley said, referring to the New York Times columnist’s magical mystery tour with a pot-infused chocolate.) A young veteran described how marijuana had helped him and other vets overcome dangerous dependencies on opioid painkillers.

As governor, Mr. O’Malley signed laws decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana and setting up a medical-marijuana program (more than 20 states now have some form of medical marijuana). He said he supported removing marijuana from the federal government’s roster of Schedule I controlled substances, a federal classification that puts it in the same category as heroin, and rescheduling it as a drug that has some medical use but also a high potential for abuse...

read: http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/09/17/martin-omalley-connects-with-pro-marijuana-activists/

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