Chronicle AM: Maine Considers Marijuana Social Clubs With No Smoking, More... (9/26/17)

Maine considers marijuana social clubs where you can't smoke pot, some Maryland criminal justice reforms passed last year will go into effect on Sunday, and more.

You wouldn't be able to do this under Maine's proposed marijuana social club law. (Flickr/CAGrimmett)

Maine Might Okay Marijuana Social Clubs, But Not Allow Smoking. The legislative rewrite of last year's voter-approved legalization initiative contains a provision that allows for the licensing of marijuana social clubs, but there's a big catch: People probably won't be able to smoke pot in them. The bill does not expressly ban smoking, but neither does it have any exemption from the state's no-smoking laws, which prohibit smoking of any kind -- including vaping -- in public places.

Drug Policy

Maryland Drug, Criminal Justice Reforms Go into Effect Next Week. Some provisions of the Justice Reinvestment Act (2016 Senate Bill 1005) will go into effect on Sunday. The measures allow people serving mandatory minimum sentences for drug offense to ask a court for sentence reductions, expands drug treatment, eases parole policy, and makes provisions for criminal record expungment. Another bill going into effect Sunday allows people with marijuana offenses to seek expungement after four years instead of ten.

International

Philippines Medical Marijuana Bill Advances. The House Health Committee approved a medical marijuana measure, House Bill 180, on Monday. The bill would allow patients with debilitating conditions to use marijuana. It would also establish Medical Cannabis Compassionate Centers in hospitals to supply and sell medical marijuana, which could be sold only by a licensed pharmacist.