The Maryland legislature passed House Bill #881 in April of 2014, and it went into effect in June of the same year.
The law requires the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to work in tandem with the Natalie M. LaPrade Medical Marijuana Commission in formulating procedures for the registering of patients and the issuing of ID cards for said patients, as well as licensing all dispensaries for medical marijuana in the state of Maryland. This task force is also responsible for fee setting and setting limits for amounts of medical marijuana a patient may possess. They are also in charge of all academic research on the compassionate use of medical marijuana.
Patient ID cards cost $50.00, but are completely optional. A prescription from a licensed physician is all that is needed for dispensing medical marijuana.
Maryland has an unusually broad definition for approved usage, as follows:
Any and all medical conditions that are considered severe and/or unusual, for which traditional medical methods have proven ineffective. Any symptom that a licensed physician feels can be reasonably treated with medical marijuana. Also, any patient with debilitating or chronic conditions that cause a severe and chronic appetite loss, wasting away, intractable pain, serious and continuous nausea, and seizures and spasms associated with neuropathy.
