A service of Salisbury University and University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Making Smoking Pot in Car A Criminal Misdemeanor

Craig Finlay
/
creative commons

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - The Maryland House of Delegates has voted to make it a criminal misdemeanor to smoke marijuana in vehicles.
 
The House voted 139-0 for the bill Friday. It now goes to the Senate.
 
The bill initially would have applied to public spaces, but that provision was taken out by the House Judiciary Committee.
 
Earlier this week, the House rejected an attempt by Republican lawmakers to make it a criminal offense to smoke marijuana on the Ocean City Boardwalk or other public spaces.
 
In 2014, Maryland made public use and possession of less than 10 grams of marijuana a civil offense. The measure approved Friday clarifies that it is a criminal misdemeanor to smoke marijuana while driving or as a passenger in a vehicle.

     
 

Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.