Question 4 was a voter referendum to amend the

Constitution of Maryland The current Constitution of the State of Maryland, which was ratified by the people of the state on September 18, 1867, forms the basic law for the U.S. state of Maryland. It replaced the short-lived Maryland Constitution of 1864 and is the fou ...

in order to legalize cannabis for adult use in Maryland. The referendum was approved overwhelmingly, with more than twice as many voters voting in favor of it than against it and winning in all but one county, on November 8, 2022. It went into effect on July 1, 2023.

Ballot measure

The ballot measure reads as follows: The choices read as follows:

History

On July 16, 2021, State House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones created a committee to draft a referendum on legalization to place on the ballot in 2022. Around December 25, the chairman of the state House Cannabis Referendum and Legalization Workgroup,

Luke Clippinger Luke H. Clippinger (born September 24, 1972) is an American politician and lawyer who has served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates, representing the state's Maryland Legislative District 46, 46th district in Baltimore, since 2011. Ea ...

, pre-filed House Bill 1 for the 2022 session, to initiate the citizen referendum in 2022 that would create a constitutional amendment to legalize cannabis. The referendum bill and accompanying bill implementing legalization, House Bill 837 received public testimony and were discussed by the House Judiciary Committee on February 14, 2022. House Bill 1 was passed 96–34 by the House of Delegates on February 25. This bill was contingent on passage of the ballot referendum in the November 2022 election, whereby it would legalize recreational use of cannabis possession and use on or after July 1, 2023. The constitutional referendum and the legalization bill were both passed by the Maryland Senate on April 1. Senate Finance Committee hearings on the bills began on March 23. Voters approved the referendum on November 8, 2022, with 67.2% of voters and 23 of 24 counties and county-equivalents (all but

Garrett County Garrett County () is the westernmost county of the U.S. state of Maryland, completely within the Appalachian Mountains. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 28,806, making it the third-least populous county in Maryland. Its ...

) in favor. It fully took effect on July 1, 2023.

Provisions

The bill provides for adults 21 and older to purchase and possess up to of marijuana and decriminalize possession of amounts greater than that up to . This bill would also establish a Cannabis Business Assistance Fund to support equity initiatives for minority- and women-owned businesses. That fund would go toward incubator and educational programs to promote participation in the industry by people most impacted by criminalization. The bill would also automatically expunge prior criminal convictions for conduct made legal under the proposed law. Between January 1 and July 1, 2023, possession of up to 1.5 ounces was to be a

civil infraction A summary offence or petty offence is a violation in some common law jurisdictions that can be proceeded against summarily, without the right to a jury trial and/or indictment (required for an indictable offence). Canada In Canada, summary offe ...

subject to a $100 fine, as provided by House Bill 837.

Opinion polls

On Question 4
On whether recreational marijuana should be legal

Results

Source: Maryland State Board of Elections

By county

Notes

Partisan clients

References

External links

*{{Ballotpedia, Maryland_Question_4,_Marijuana_Legalization_Amendment_(2022), Maryland Question 4, marijuana legalization amendment (2022)
Maryland House Bill 1
at Legiscan 2022 cannabis law reform Cannabis ballot measures in the United States Cannabis in Maryland Maryland ballot measures U.S. state constitutional amendments Question 4