The Baltimore Sun from Baltimore, Maryland • A2

2 THE BALTIMORE SUN NEWS SUNDAY, JUNE 30, 2019 Should marijuana be legalized in Mary- it be impact would legalization have on crime rates and health? AMarylandGeneral Assembly task force began its work last week on studying possible legalization of cannabis for adult use a signal the legislature is getting serious about moving forward with legisla- tion next year. think a foregone conclu- sion said state Sen. Bill Ferguson, is co-chair of the biparti- san task force. really need to dig into: What have other states learned? What is different At the work first meeting in Annapolis, Ferguson said the task force would finish its work by the end of the year, but it was unclear what the memberswould recommend. Del.

Kathleen Dumais, D-Montgomery County, co-chair of the task force, said the body will form subcommittees to study the impact of marijuana legalization on crimi- nal justice and public health, while consid- ering best approaches to taxation, licensing and ensuring participation by small, wom- an-owned andminority-owned businesses. Senate President Thomas V.MikeMiller and late House Speaker Michael Busch formed theworkgroup inFebruary tomake recommendations at the end of December that could be used to develop bills for the 2020 legislative session. Lawmakers are looking for additional revenue streams including taxing mari- juanaand fund the proposals from the Commission onInnovationandExcellence inEducation. The so-called Kirwan commission, nick- named after its chairman, former Uni- versity System of Maryland Chancellor William Kirwan, has recommended ambitious proposals to boost schools that total about $3.8 billion annually. On Tuesday, the Marijuana Legalization Workgroup heard testimony fromMathew Swinburne, an associate director with the Network for Public Health Law, about how state legalization efforts have come into conflictwith federal prohibitions.

Colorado and Washington became the first states in the country to legalize marijuana for adult use in 2012. Now, 10 states and the District of Columbia have legalized though it remains illegal under federal law. Marijuana was among the largest cash crops in America used for textiles, paper, oil, rope and medicine until the 1937 Marihuana Tax Act imposed registration and reporting requirements aswell as taxes on the industry, Swinburne testified. In1951, amid concern thatmarijuanawas a gateway to heroin and other more dangerous drugs, the Boggs Act lumped marijuana in with narcotics and made possession punishable by a minimum of two years in prison. Subsequent laws increasedcriminal pen- alties, and the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 classified marijuana as having no acceptable medical use and high potential for abuse.

Sen. Andrew A. Serafini, R-Washington County, questionedwhether prove difficult for marijuana companies since their product is illegal under federal law. lotofmoney flowingrightnow and many banks going to deal with Serafini said. But Sen.

Brian J. Feldman, D-Mont- gomery County, said he knew of banks in the state that are accepting cannabis Theworkgroupalsoheard fromWilliam C. Tilburg, the director of policy and government affairs for theMarylandMedi- cal Cannabis Commission, who said medi- cal marijuana is expanding quickly in the state. The medical marijuana industry has 15 growers, 18 processors and 77 dispensaries, he said. Retail sales have grown inJanuary in2018 inMay.

In 2018, medical cannabis sales totaled $109 million for the year. Task force member Del. Nick J. Mosby, D-Baltimore, said he wants to make sure a diverse group of business owners would benefit from the legalization ofmarijuana. Nationally, African Americans are nearly four times as likely to be arrested on marijuana charges as white people, despite surveys showing similar usage rates among the races.

But business owners benefiting from the new marijuana industry are mainly white, Tilburg testified. Maryland has just one African American grower, he said. than of total businesses in the country are African American Tilburg testified. Mosby suggested eliminating caps on how many license-holders could sell mari- juana inMaryland. there an advantage to the residents of Maryland to have an arbitrarily limited cap on the number of licenses, particularly when you look at the fact that this industry is doing in sixmonths to a handful of said.

Ragina C. Ali, manager of public and government affairs for the Maryland office of AAA Mid-Atlantic, said the driver advocacy group is watching the task work closely. Ali said the organization is about the lack of a reliable method to determine whether a person is high while driving a vehicle the way there is for determining a level of alcohol intoxication. Members of the committee include Democratic Dels. Jay Walker, Vanessa Kipke and Kathy Szeliga; Democratic Sens.

Jill P. Carter, Melony Griffith, Guy Guz- zone, Douglas J.J. Peters and JeffWaldstre- ey andChrisWest. The discussions in Annapolis include whether legislators should seek to directly legalize recreational marijuana use by passing a bill or take the route of legislation that would set up a referendum for voters on the 2020 ballot. luke.broadwater@baltsun.com twitter.com/lukebroadwater Task force studying legalizing pot Maryland General Assembly group begins work, a signal legislation may be coming By Luke Broadwater The Baltimore Sun The man shot and killed by Baltimore County police in Phoenix lastweekendwas a and caring who also had inner struggles, his daughter says.

At times Scott Robertson could become and agitated, recalled Angelika sharedahome in the14000 block of Blenheim Road with her mother and Robertson. She called police last weekend after he became disruptive but said she and her mother never felt their liveswere in danger. On the morning of June 22, Ullsperger said she received a call from her mother saying Robertson, 41, had a gun. Ullsperger rushedbackto theirhomeandcalledpolice, hoping theywould help calmhim. thought they could de-escalate said in an interview Thursday.

When police arrived, Ullsperger said she ran out of the home with her mother and another friend, leaving Robertson inside. Offi- cers approached the house and called for Rob- ertson to comeout. Police said Robertson walked out of a side door holding the handgun, and an offi- cer yelled for him to drop it. Police said Robertson then raised the gun, to fire his gun. Robertson was struck and ran back into the house.

Ullsperger has questioned the depart- response, saying that she and her mother attempted to inform officers on the scene that Robertson suffers from post- traumatic stress disorder and that having so many officers approach the house would cause him to becomemore agitated. tried to tell them, you come at him with a bunch of people, that would scare him.He’s going to she said. After Robertson was shot, police waited before entering the home, unsure whether he still was a threat. He bled to death in the basement, Ullsperger said. Ullsperger said she understands police were concerned because Robertson had a gun but questioned the shooting.

justhoping that somethinggoodcan comeout of this terrible she said. Robertson worked as a graphic designer and hadwritten and illustrated a book, the that dis- cussed bullying. Ullsperger said he loved nature and riding his bike. was just such a loving she said. Police spokesman Cpl.

Shawn Vinson said thecaseremainsunder investigationby the homicide unit, which investigates all officer-involved shootings. The police department and recently sworn-in Chief Melissa Hyatt have not released body camera footage from the incident. chief is in communicationwith the county executive and the office to determine the best time to release thebodycamera footage inaneffort tobeas transparent as possible without interfering with the Vinson said Thurs- day. Vinson said the officer who shot Rob- ertson is on routine administrative leave. Man killed by police recalled as kind, having inner struggles By Jessica Anderson The Baltimore Sun Robertson Gloria Thomas of Reservoir Hill re- sisted the urge to shout directions at her daughter.

the she wanted to say. But 9-year-old Makenzie Capehart look worried even though she had never cooked salmon before. about the girl asked her partner as the minutes ticked down. The challenge was to make a dish using ingredients eggplant andSwiss chard, and todo it in45minutes. Over the stereo, asked, then answeredher ownquestion: the The cooking contest was the highlight of the first Black Girls Cook food and wellness festival held Saturday in East Baltimore.

Organizer Nichole Mooney, who teaches cooking classes through her Black Girls Cook nonprofit, said she was inspired to start the event after attending a similar event in New York. do something fun and she said to herself. She hoped that the event would help spread awareness of healthy eating habits to children in the area. empowering to see us take our rescue into our own said yoga teacher Ana Rodney, who brought along yoga mats for demonstrations. While many people associate yogawith time and money, she aims to show people that they needmoney to practice.

can do it in the she said. Handingout samplesof saladwasSache Jones of the No Boundaries Coalition, an advocacy group in the city. While gun violence and other social ills gets more attention, Jones said, improper diet can have negative health impacts that are just as damaging. Her group partners with Whole Foods and other vendors to sell fresh produce to Baltimore residents who otherwise have access to it. The event was held at City Seeds, a commercial kitchen inBroadwayEastpart of the Baltimore Food Hub, inside the groundsofacrumbling19th-centurywater pumping station under renovation.

Derrick Manning, who grew up in East Baltimore, expressed astonishment at see- ing an event celebrating healthy food in an area of the city more known for liquor stores and carryouts. Fried chicken and greasy food was a staple of his childhood. Hismother died at 38, andhis grandmoth- er died of heart problems and diabetes. want to continue that Man- ning said. a firefighter, keeps to a pescatarian diet and is trying to wean his children off meat.

His daughter, Chelsie, who has taken classes at Black Girls Cook, keeps a gardenat theirhouse.OnSaturday, 10-year-old Chelsie sliced a filet of salmon in half, gently shaking salt and Old Bay onto the meat. Watching his daughter so proudhe cried. In the end, the three teams of two presented their plates to the judges. They included Bryce Taylor, a 16-year-old Mt. Washington resident who himself had been a contestant on four years ago.

He praised the seared salmon that Makenzie and a partner prepared. Staged with carrots and egg- plant andaccompaniedbyacakeof quinoa garnished with lemon and onion, the dish sure looked like awinner. get pictures of this one of the judges asked the audience. sure you do beforewe eat it Everyone took home prizes. But 9-year- old Makenzie and her partner took home the top prize, a Pioneer Woman pressure cooker andher very own cutting board.

makes my heart Thomas said. twitter.com/xtinatkacik From left, Kori Waters, 13 and Gabrielle Washington, 12, plate their dish in the Black Girls Cook Kids Food and Wellness Festival cooking competition, as celebrity host Chef Jumoke Jackson provides commentary. KIM SUN PHOTOS Black Girls Cook event promotes healthy diet Cooking contest, yoga among attractions at East Baltimore event By Christina Tkacik The Baltimore Sun Derrick Manning and his daughter, Chelsie, eat salad made at the No Boundaries Coalition table..