Is Maryland Ready To Legalize Marijuana ?

It looks like the forces of sanity may finally be getting to be a majority in another state -- Maryland. Maryland may soon join the growing list of states that have decriminalized marijuana use (make possession of small amounts just worth a ticket rather than an arrest & jail sentence). And that state may even take the further step of legalizing the recreational use of the gentle herb soon.

At least, the results of a new ACLU/Public Policy Polling Survey (which recently surveyed 678 Maryland residents, with a 3.8 point margin of error) makes it look like that's what a growing number (and now a majority) of people in Maryland would like to see happen. The poll was released last Thursday.

Back in 2011, when this survey was previously done, about 57% of the state's population wanted marijuana decriminalized and about 40% supported its complete legalization. Those figures have grown in the last two years. Now about 68% are in favor of decriminalization, and a majority (53%) now support legalization. That's real progress.

I applaud the people of Maryland, and wish people in more states would wake up to the truth -- and realize that the federal government has been lying to them about marijuana for decades now. There is no legitimate reason for it to be illegal, and plenty of reasons why it should be legal. It is much safer than other legal drugs, and could provide a real boon to our society in job creation and taxation.