General Assembly Mulls Over Medical Marijuana Bills

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Medical Marijuana may be the answer patients are looking for to treat various medical conditions, but chances are they aren't looking to lose their homes or their jobs over it.

These are the issues the General Assembly is dealing with now.

Senate committee chairman Bobby Zirkin has a dozen bills of his own.

"Even though the vast majority of the country calls this a medication, we continue to be in this legal la la land where we do our thing calling cannabis a medication, the feds call it no different than crack-cocaine," said Zirkin. "And so there are all these legal issues that come up, housing, employment, anything related to research institutions, edibles."

Things that aren't issues when you're talking about other drugs have to be addressed.

For example, testing positive on an employers drug test.

Asked if that can put a person in jeopardy of losing a job, it absolutely does, said Zirkin.

"I think a lot of things weren't contemplated," said Baltimore senator, Jill Carter. "Like it wasn't contemplated if you medically have a right to use marijuana, does your landlord have a right to evict you or do you suffer repercussions in your job, your housing? We've opened up a door for people to use it, now we have to make sure that they're not penalized for it."

Robert Doty is a cancer patient who testified in support of a bill banning misleading product advertising.

"I asked for one that would not make me intoxicated," he said. "And in fact, after a 45-minute delay, it hit me so hard I literally could not move ofr six hours.

18 bills were under consideration today.

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