Calvert health official warns of enforcement limits, rising youth exposures after cannabis legalization

Dr. Moore, the county health official, told the Calvert County Board of Health that Maryland permits licensed dispensaries to sell regulated cannabis to adults 21 and older, but the local public-safety response faces limits when assessing impairment.

The presentation, given as the board convened as the Calvert County Board of Health, outlined recent data showing higher self-reported cannabis use in some adult age groups, a mixed picture for youth use, and an uptick in poison-control calls and emergency visits among children. "Only adults age 21 or older can legally purchase, possess, and use cannabis," Dr. Moore said, and noted that the county lacks a roadside test that accurately measures impairment. She added that adolescents face higher addiction risk, saying, "an adolescent becomes addicted like 1 in 6."

Why it matters: Commissioners said enforcement and data gaps make it difficult to judge local impacts after legalization. Dr. Moore and the board agreed the county should coordinate additional briefings with law enforcement and pursue more detailed sales and post-legalization surveillance.

Key points and evidence

Enforcement and testing: Dr. Moore described the challenge of determining impairment on traffic stops. She said specialized driver evaluation teams exist but are used rarely and that, "there are none to test level" for roadside THC impairment. Commissioners asked whether "mystery-shopper" compliance checks occur at dispensaries, and Dr. Moore said the health department will follow up with the sheriff's office and provide an email response.

Youth data and exposures: Using the Maryland Youth Risk Behavior Survey and BRFSS summaries, Dr. Moore said Calvert County's 2023 high-school self-report rate was 15.6 percent and cautioned that survey limitations and small county samples can obscure trends. She also reported that Maryland Poison Control calls for youth exposures rose from 2018 to 2024, with the highest call rates in the 13–19 age group and a notable number in the 0–5 age group, suggesting accidental pediatric exposures were increasing.

Public-safety context: The presentation noted that alcohol-related fatal crashes still outnumber drug-impairment crashes and that THC is one of several substances sometimes present. Dr. Moore said the sheriff's office had not yet seen a significant increase in cannabis-impaired-driving arrests since legalization but emphasized perception changes among the public that could reduce concern about use.

Prevention and next steps: The health department proposed expanding school-based education, partnering with community organizations and tailoring outreach to the 18–20 college-age cohort. Dr. Moore described a three-tier school-based prevention and intervention model submitted in a grant proposal for FY2026 funds, and she said the department will add materials about safe storage and parental engagement. The board requested a future session with the sheriff's office to review enforcement tools and an analysis of dispensary sales data where available.

Closing: Dr. Moore ended with seasonal safety reminders about ticks and rabies and said the health department will continue to gather post-legalization data. The board scheduled one more presentation in the series for July 22 to wrap up the topic and planned to incorporate sales data and law-enforcement perspective into that session.