The Maryland Senate Finance Committee has approved a bipartisan measure to easy certain requirements for becoming a security guard in the legal cannabis industry.
Senate Bill 299 was introduced on January 10 by State Senators Mary Carozza (R) and Brian Feldman (D), and was approved today by the Finance Committee. The bill would eliminate the requirement for state and national criminal history records checks for security guards working for marijuana businesses, provided they are already authorized under Maryland’s existing security guard regulations.
Current law mandates that all marijuana agents, including security personnel, register with the Maryland Cannabis Administration and undergo background checks. However, this can cause issues given marijuana is illegal federally. SB 299 amends this law by allowing security guards employed by marijuana businesses or licensed security agencies to bypass this requirement if they are authorized under Title 19, Subtitle 4 of the Business Occupations and Professions Article.
Maryland voters approved marijuana legalization through a ballot measure in November 2022. The law officially took effect on July 1, 2023, allowing 21 and older to possess up to 1.5 ounces of marijuana and cultivate up to two plants per household. The state has since established a regulated retail market, providing licensed access to marijuana products.
If enacted, the bill would take effect on October 1, 2025.
