Marylanders prepare for influx of cannabis smokers following marijuana legalization
BALTIMORE -- Change is in the air, and some Marylanders don't care if it stinks.
Nearly a week after Maryland voted to legalize recreational marijuana the focus of state residents is shifting to the smell of cannabis.
Some people say the smell is ubiquitous in Baltimore.
Other people have a problem with it.
The debate over the social aspect of lighting up in public has been thrust back into the spotlight after Maryland voted 2 to 1 to legalize recreational cannabis—a move set to go into effect for people 21 and older in July 2023.
Bruce Barcott, a senior editor at Leafly, says cannabis policy reform is proving to be less polarizing than once believed.
"In a city like Baltimore, it's going to be a little common for a few months then things really calm down," Barcott said.
Some people may have to get used to the powerful stench, he cautioned.
"There is going to be some exuberance the first few months in Baltimore as there was in Boston, as there was in Denver as there was in Seattle, but things calm down," Barcott said.
But there is no danger associated with the smell, he said. And it's a small price to pay for keeping people from being locked up in jail for no great reason, Barcott said.
"Let me assure you, you are not going to get a contact high if you catch a whiff of it strolling down the sidewalk," he said.
