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County bill would set up cannabis reinvestment fund and expand advisory panel
Summary
CB 19-2024 would establish the Community Reinvestment and Repair Fund (CRRF) to receive a portion of state adult-use cannabis tax revenue (35% of local allocation; Howard County share identified as 2.68%) and would expand the county’s advisory panel and add an Office of Human Rights and Equity designee to recommend grantees.
Maureen Evans Arthurs, director of government affairs and strategic partnerships for the County Executive’s office, explained Council Bill 19-2024, which would create the Community Reinvestment and Repair Fund (CRRF) required by the state law that governs distribution of adult-use cannabis tax revenues. She said Maryland levies a 9% tax on recreational adult-use cannabis, 35% of which is allocated to local governments for community reinvestment, and that Howard County’s annual share would be 2.68 percent as identified by the Maryland Office of Social Equity.
Evans Arthurs said the bill would expand the county’s existing cannabis advisory panel to recommend which community-based organizations and grantees receive CRRF funding and would add an ex officio member or designee from the Office of Human Rights and Equity. The funding is intended for initiatives that serve low-income or disproportionately impacted areas; the county’s proportional share was tied to zip codes 21044 and 21045 in the state’s allocation methodology.
She answered no follow-up questions during the hearing. The transcript records the bill explanation and the council’s acknowledgment; no vote appears in the hearing transcript.
