Maryland lawmakers have sent the governor a bill to protect firefighters and rescue workers from being penalized over their lawful use of medical marijuana off the job.
The House of Delegates approved the Senate-passed legislation, SB 439 from Sen. Carl Jackson (D) in a 108-23 vote on Monday, about two weeks after passing a companion measure, HB 797 from Del. Adrian Boafo (D).
The Senate bill, now having cleared both chambers in identical form, heads next to the desk of Gov. Wes Moore (D), who can sign or veto it, or allow it to become law without his signature. The identical House bill cleared a committee in the opposite chamber but did not receive floor action there by the time lawmakers adjourned for the session on Monday night.
The passage of the legislation comes after years of attempts over recent sessions to enact the reform aimed at giving emergency service professionals the option to use cannabis as an alternative treatment for health conditions that commonly afflict the first responder community.
The change is “so critically important to our firefighters” and other rescue professionals who “work long shifts in tense emergencies and high-stress situations every day,” Boafo said at a committee
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