Legislation to ease requirements for those attempting to become a security guard in the cannabis industry has been given approval by a key committee in the Maryland House of Representatives.
Today, House Bill 1347 was given approval by the House Economic Matters Committee. The measure, filed last month by Delegate Christopher Adams (R), is a companion to Senate Bill 299. SB 299 was passed by the Senate last month in a unanimous 45 to 0 vote.
The legislation would eliminate certain background check requirements for security guards working in the state’s legal marijuana industry. Specifically, the bill would remove the mandate for state and national criminal history records checks for security guards employed by marijuana businesses, as long as they are already authorized under Maryland’s existing security guard regulations.
Under current law, all marijuana agents, including security personnel, must register with the Maryland Cannabis Administration and undergo background checks that can cause issues due to marijuana’s federal status.
If enacted, the measure would take effect on October 1.
Maryland voters approved marijuana legalization via a ballot measure in November 2022, with the law officially taking effect on July 1, 2023.
