Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
Editorials & Other Articles
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
The 'immaculate conception' problem: Maryland medical marijuana growers must break law to grow plant [View all]
Source: Baltimore Sun
The 'immaculate conception' problem: Maryland medical marijuana growers must break law to grow plants
By Erin Cox
The Baltimore Sun
JANUARY 6, 2016, 2:34 PM
Maryland's would-be medical marijuana growers face a conundrum known as the "immaculate conception" problem: How do you grow legal marijuana plants when it's a felony to obtain the seeds?
The first step in growing state-sanctioned legal marijuana is to break the law, a paradox that has regulators nationwide looking the other way while growers keep mum about how they start their businesses.
"It's a bizarre little legal problem that no one addresses," said Leah Heise, an attorney and CEO of the national advocacy group Women Grow. "States just turn a blind eye to it, and thus far, the federal government has turned a blind eye to the sprouting up of these plants."
In Maryland and nearly all states that have legalized some use of marijuana, setting up a growing operation involves a state and federal crime. Without exception, moving seeds or young plants — known as clones — across state lines is a felony. Even in states where recreational marijuana is now legal, the medical marijuana plants that fed its precursor industry originally came from illegal sources, industry experts said.
[font size=1]-snip-[/font]
By Erin Cox
The Baltimore Sun
JANUARY 6, 2016, 2:34 PM
Maryland's would-be medical marijuana growers face a conundrum known as the "immaculate conception" problem: How do you grow legal marijuana plants when it's a felony to obtain the seeds?
The first step in growing state-sanctioned legal marijuana is to break the law, a paradox that has regulators nationwide looking the other way while growers keep mum about how they start their businesses.
"It's a bizarre little legal problem that no one addresses," said Leah Heise, an attorney and CEO of the national advocacy group Women Grow. "States just turn a blind eye to it, and thus far, the federal government has turned a blind eye to the sprouting up of these plants."
In Maryland and nearly all states that have legalized some use of marijuana, setting up a growing operation involves a state and federal crime. Without exception, moving seeds or young plants — known as clones — across state lines is a felony. Even in states where recreational marijuana is now legal, the medical marijuana plants that fed its precursor industry originally came from illegal sources, industry experts said.
[font size=1]-snip-[/font]
Read more: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-marijuana-seeds-20170106-story.html
10 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read