Maryland lawmakers have a lot to learn on legalizing marijuana

As Maryland’s lawmakers delve into the nuances of whether to legalize marijuana for recreational use, they’re learning that they have a lot of details to figure out.

A joint House of Delegates-Senate work group on legalization met Monday for the second time, as members build up their knowledge of the drug before recommending whether — and how — it should be further legalized.

The group is meeting between now and the start of the next legislative session in January, with the goal of developing recommendations. Lawmakers could consider passing a law that would legalize the drug for recreational use by adults, or they could send the question to Maryland voters in a referendum on the 2020 ballot.

Here are some facts that lawmakers learned about the legal pot industry from experts at the latest meeting.

It’s difficult to tell how much money the state could make from legal marijuana.

There are only a handful of states with legal marijuana markets, and only a couple that have more than a few years of experience. [Read more at The Baltimore Sun]