These are the Maryland state laws that will change in 2023
BALTIMORE -- The new year comes with new laws.
The year 2023 comes with changes that center around marijuana and the minimum wage in Maryland.
This includes the amount of pot a person can legally possess, the recreational use of marijuana, and expunging certain cases from one's record.
State lawmakers will be in charge of setting up the state's recreational marijuana industry.
Retail sales will fall under rules and regulations when the law goes into effect in July.
But for now, certain penalties for possession are being reduced.
"I think it's about time," Baltimore resident Theresa Brown said.
In this case, the time was midnight. On Jan. 1, 2023, that's when the laws went into effect.
The possession of up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana will no longer levy a criminal charge.
Instead, a person will have to pay a civil penalty of $250.
The law also creates a process for expunging all cases in which possession of fewer than 10 grams of cannabis is the only charge, along with additional expungement provisions, according to the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission.
"I had a lot of arrests when I was younger for possession," Baltimore resident Dave Nyquist said. "It's still there. I'm in my 40s now but it's still there. I'm still a criminal for something that shouldn't be criminalized."
The legal use of recreational marijuana in Maryland is also around the corner.
After about 65% of voters said "yes" on the November ballot.
On July 1, people who are 21 years old and older will be allowed to possess up to one and a half ounces of weed.
In the meantime, the Maryland General Assembly will come up with a regulatory framework.
"I'm a longtime marijuana user and I never expected to be able to vote for it in my lifetime," Nyquist said. "It was historic."
Another change that came with the start of the new year is the minimum wage in Maryland.
The state's minimum wage rose $0.75 Sunday from $12.50 an hour to $13.25 an hour for companies with 15 or more employees.
Companies with fewer than 14 employees will have a slightly lower minimum wage threshold. The current $12.20 per hour minimum wage for those employers will increase to $12.80.
The minimum wage is set to increase yearly, reaching $15 an hour by 2025 after the Maryland General Assembly vetoed Governor Larry Hogan's vote on the matter in 2019.
"Generally, if more people have money in their pocket, especially with inflation, I think it's a good thing," Baltimore resident Alex Pessell.
Still, other people do not feel like that amount is enough.
"It's sad because they can't pay their rent," Baltimore resident Theresa Brown. "The rent is going up, the food is going up, everything is going up. The gas. It's hard to live."
