Maryland Advances Bill Allowing Home Cannabis Products, Sentencing Reform

26 March 2025

Maryland lawmakers are taking another big step forward in cannabis reform. Today, the General Assembly has advanced House Bill 413 and Senate Bill 925—two companion measures that could have a direct impact on how Marylanders use, access, and produce cannabis at home. If signed into law, the bills would allow adults 21 and older to legally make their own cannabis edibles and concentrates at home—as long as they don’t use volatile solvents like butane or propane, which pose safety risks. This means products like tinctures, infused brownies, and rosin extracts could be legally made in your own kitchen.

The legislation is a major expansion of Maryland’s adult-use cannabis policy and is especially meaningful for rural residents who may not live near a dispensary. It's also great news for Maryland’s medical cannabis patients and everyday users looking to save money or have more control over what they consume.

But the reforms don’t stop at the home kitchen. These bills also overhaul how the state treats large-scale cannabis possession. Under the current law, having more than 50 pounds of cannabis is a felony with a mandatory five-year prison sentence. If these new bills pass, it would become a misdemeanor with no mandatory minimum and a max penalty of 10 years or a $50,000 fine. This change could help reduce the number of people incarcerated for cannabis-related offenses—especially those serving long sentences under outdated laws. In fact, the bills would allow some individuals already serving time for those offenses to petition the court for a sentence reduction.

If you’re a cannabis consumer, this legislation could lower costs, increase product access, and further reduce the stigma around home use. For the cannabis industry, it presents both a challenge and an opportunity: retail dispensaries may see a dip in some sales, especially in rural areas, while product makers may need to differentiate with quality and innovation.