A group of mothers are banding together to ask Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh to decriminalize marijuana and shift police focus to solving homicides, writes Joseph Misulonas.

State lawmakers in both chambers filed legislation Wednesday that would end cannabis prohibition in Maryland.

Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby announced on Tuesday that marijuana possession cases in the city will no longer be prosecuted. The city’s lead prosecutor also said that she plans to vacate as many as 5,000 previous convictions, according to media reports. Mosby said that the change in policy is in part a reaction to the racial disparity prevalent in the prosecution of cannabis offenses.

“The statistics are damning when it comes to the disproportionate impact that the ‘War on Drugs’ has had on communities of color,” Mosby said. “As your state’s attorney, I pledged to institute change and I refuse to stand by and be a facilitator of injustice and inequity when it is clear that we can be so much smarter and do so much more on behalf of the people we serve.”

Cannabis is coming to the classroom.

The first degrees in cannabis chemistry will be offered beginning this fall at Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., according to the university’s website. The soon-to-be-launched program will offer both associate and bachelor’s degrees, and will equip students “with the knowledge necessary to gain employment in emergent cannabis markets.”

It all started with a single college course.

“It is ‘BPA 227 — Entrepreneurial Opportunity in Expanding Markets: Cannabis Legalization,” Shad Ewart, chair of the Department of Business Management at Anne Arundel Community College in Maryland, tells High Times. “That is a mouthful, but that was part of the compromise. I had wanted the title to be ‘Ganjaprenuership.’”

Ewart is referring to the standalone course he currently teaches at Anne Arundel. He first taught BPA 227 back in January 2015, largely as a response to the growing interest students had in cannabis and legalization.

The Maryland General Assembly is back in session, and the state’s education needs could mean that cannabis legalization will be a major policy contender in 2019. Several lawmakers recently voiced their concerns about Maryland’s education funding — or lack thereof — and some are weighing all viable options to get the necessary resources.

It's been a full year since medical marijuana officially entered Maryland’s economy and over $100 million in revenue has been generated by local dispensaries during that time.

Former Baltimore Ravens football star, Eugene Monroe, is one of the biggest names in Maryland’s cannabis business which has already helped heal thousands of local residents.

"The more people who become aware of the availability of cannabis and the ease of access to it increases, we do think that we will continue to see that type of growth here in the market,” said Monroe.

Local leaders have also embraced the new businesses into their community's.

Last week, Maryland’s body of cannabis policymakers, the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission, unanimously decided to place multiple rigid regulations on advertisements for cannabis products and services. While the regulations are called “restrictions” in the official ruling, there are so many that the state has effectively banned all forms of advertising for anything related to medical cannabis consumption.

As the medical cannabis program rolls out in Maryland — more than four years after the state's General Assembly passed a law to legalize it — residents are obtaining medical cards and seeking treatment faster than anyone predicted, writes Diana-Ashley Krach. New Frontier Data predicts that sales will likely hit $100 million by the year’s end. All this movement means more dispensaries and more choices for patients. So before you walk into the next available retail location, look at the top dispensaries to determine what will suit your needs the best.