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Bill would let prosecutors treat firearms used in illicit cannabis trafficking like other drug felonies
Summary
HB 171 would expand the definition of drug-trafficking-with-a-firearm to include possession with intent to distribute cannabis; prosecutors and law enforcement cited examples of pounds of illicit cannabis recovered alongside loaded weapons and urged passage as a public-safety measure.
Delegate William Valentine presented HB 171 to the House Judiciary Committee, saying a change in Maryland law that reduced certain cannabis offenses to misdemeanors left a gap: people dealing large quantities of cannabis while armed could escape a trafficking-with-firearm charge that applies to other controlled substances.
State prosecutors and county narcotics commanders testified in…
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