Both chambers of the Maryland General Assembly introduced legislation on Friday outlining the state’s plan to open a recreational cannabis market next July, a remarkable eight months later Voters approved the legalization of marijuana in the midterm exams in November.

Senate President Bill Ferguson said in a press conference that lawmakers had put together a “deliberate, thoughtful framework” around a complex issue that he said was broad enough to become a national model.

“What I think we’ve done effectively here is put us on the best path possible. It’s a complex subject; There’s a lot of different parts,” Ferguson said. “No state has gotten it right and I think we’ve effectively managed here to get us on our way to protecting public health on the one hand and having a regulated market where we have a real regulatory framework to ensure.” , that the product sold on the street is safe, and second, to open and expand the market in a fair way.”

The bill will regulate cannabis safety, ensure justice in an expanding market and invest 30% of tax revenues in communities that have suffered from the War on Drugs.

governor Wes Moorehailed, through a spokesman, the bill as “a well-crafted piece of legislation” and said he “looked forward to working with the legislature in the future”.

House Delegate CT Wilson, who conducts discussions about the bill, said lawmakers were keen build the new industry as quickly as possible to avoid the problems that other states like New York and California face, like their runaway illegal markets and lack of licenses.

“My goal is to ensure that we are not only competitive on the black market, but also cheaper than the black market. Many states have created a stronger black market to their detriment because (cannabis) is so expensive,” said Wilson, who also chairs the House Economic Matters Committee.

The…