The boycott of Maryland's 1st congressional district (also known as the Boycott of Ocean City and Boycott of the Eastern Shore) was conducted in response to 2014 congressional legislation that interfered with the ability of the District of Columbia to pass its own laws. [1] The boycott was prompted by an appropriation amendment by Maryland Representative Andy Harris that would nullify D.C. laws on marijuana decriminalization. [2] [3]
In March 2014, the D.C. Council voted overwhelmingly to eliminate jail time for possession of marijuana, calling it necessary to combat deep racial disparities in drug arrests in the city. [4] In a January 2014 poll by The Washington Post , roughly eight in 10 city residents supported legalizing or decriminalizing marijuana. [4]
On June 25, 2014, House Republicans blocked funding for the D.C. law. [4] The effort to keep the District from loosening its marijuana laws was led by Andy Harris, a Republican in Congress representing Maryland's 1st District which includes the Eastern Shore and Ocean City. [4] [5] The Harris amendment bans the D.C. government from spending any funds on efforts to lessen penalties for Schedule I federal drug crimes. [1] Once enacted, the measure will interfere with D.C.'s decriminalization law and a possible legalization ballot initiative. [2] [3]
Appropriations riders are a strategy frequently used to block unfavorable local legislation. It took a decade for medical marijuana backers to remove a rider preventing the District from moving forward with the system. [6] D.C. currently lacks voting representation in Congress and all locally passed laws must be sent to Congress for review and approval. [7]
In February 2015, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser implemented the popular legislation legalizing possession of marijuana. Harris said if one of his fellow Republicans captures the White House in 2016, he hopes they revisit Bowser's actions and prosecute her. [8]
The interference by Harris was viewed as a defeat for District of Columbia home rule, and the ability of its Democratic mayor and the D.C. council to self-govern. [4] [1] Harris explained his initiative by saying "Our constitution is very specific on how the federal enclave of the District of Columbia is to be treated". [9] Some speculated that Harris' interest in a leadership position in Congress prompted his amendment. [10]
It was uncertain if the legislation would force the city to shut down its entire medical marijuana program, which started in 2013. [4] In April 2014, Maryland became the latest of three states that have passed similar laws eliminating jail time for marijuana possession when Martin O'Malley signed a bill to move possession of less than 10 grams of marijuana from a criminal to a civil offense. [11] Harris argued that the D.C. law was "bad policy" assessing a fine of $25—a fraction of the $100 fine in Maryland.
On July 2, the ACLU and NAACP were among 41 other local and national organizations in delivering letters to all members of Congress urging them to oppose policy riders that would undermine the District's local autonomy. The groups, collectively representing millions of Americans, pledged a united front in opposing measures that they say "target" the district. [12]
The nonprofit group D.C. Vote called for an all-out boycott of vacation spots in the 1st Congressional District, saying Harris "acted in wanton disregard" of the views of D.C. residents. [13] [3] [14]
Before announcing the boycott, D.C. Vote said it had contacted local officials in the 1st district, informing them that the call for a boycott was not a reflection on them as businesses. It was emphasized that a similar attack on their local jurisdictions' laws would never be tolerated. [13] [15] [14] D.C. Vote Director Kimberly Perry explained that while District residents may not have a vote in Congress, they can vote with their wallets. [16] Alternate vacation spots in Delaware, Virginia and even Maryland were suggested instead of the Eastern Shore. [15]
Mayor Vincent Gray encouraged the boycott, saying "I don't think we should support someone who doesn't support us, who doesn't support democracy, period". [2] [17] Gray also suggested that those D.C. residents who do visit Harris's district might picket his office. [13] In response, Harris attacked the mayor for his loss in the primary election. [18]
Organizers identified "#BoycottMD1D" as their Twitter hashtag. [15]
Harris rebuffed efforts by D.C. Councilmember David Catania to meet with him about the boycott. [19]
Businesses in the Eastern Shore said that they hoped that other measures could be pursued besides a boycott of their businesses and said they welcome visitors of all political affiliations. [13]
Harris said city residents "know better" than to boycott his district's beauty spots. "Spending the weekend on the beautiful, family friendly Eastern Shore is more important than increasing drug use by D.C. teenagers." [13]
An initiative was launched encouraging businesses to ban Maryland Rep. Andy Harris and his congressional staff from their establishments. [20] At least one bike shop posted a picture of Harris with the words "Not Welcome". [21]
In 2015, protest efforts were re-energized following a segment on HBO's Last Week Tonight with John Oliver . Organizers arranged buses to the Eastern Shore to educate tourists and protest Washingtonians' lack of voting rights, encouraging more calls to Harris' office. [22]
The Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) is the largest organization working solely on marijuana policy reform in the United States in terms of its budget, number of members, and staff.
Maryland's 1st congressional district encompasses the entire Eastern Shore of Maryland, including Salisbury, as well as Harford County and parts of Baltimore County; it is the largest congressional district in the state geographically, covering 11 counties.
Heather R. Mizeur is an American politician who served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates from January 10, 2007 to January 14, 2015, representing the 20th district in Montgomery County, Maryland. She was a candidate for governor of Maryland in the 2014 election but lost the Democratic primary to Lieutenant Governor Anthony Brown. In 2022, she unsuccessfully ran for the United States House of Representatives in Maryland's 1st congressional district, challenging incumbent U.S. Representative Andy Harris. She lost the general election to Harris by 11 points.
In the United States, the non-medical use of cannabis is legalized in 22 states and decriminalized in 9 states, as of April 2023. Decriminalization refers to a policy of reduced penalties for cannabis offenses, typically involving a civil penalty for possessing small amounts, instead of criminal prosecution or the threat of arrest. In jurisdictions without penalty the policy is referred to as legalization, although the term decriminalization is sometimes used for this purpose as well.
Andrew Peter Harris is an American politician and physician serving as the U.S. representative for Maryland's 1st congressional district since 2011. The district includes the entire Eastern Shore, as well as several eastern exurbs of Baltimore. He is the only Republican member of Maryland's congressional delegation. Harris previously served in the Maryland Senate.
In the United States, increased restrictions and labeling of cannabis as a poison began in many states from 1906 onward, and outright prohibitions began in the 1920s. By the mid-1930s cannabis was regulated as a drug in every state, including 35 states that adopted the Uniform State Narcotic Drug Act. The first national regulation was the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937.
In the United States, the use and possession of cannabis is illegal under federal law for any purpose by way of the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 (CSA). Under the CSA, cannabis is classified as a Schedule I substance, determined to have a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use. Despite this, most states have legalized either or both the medical and recreational use of cannabis.
The legal history of cannabis in the United States began with state-level prohibition in the early 20th century, with the first major federal limitations occurring in 1937. Starting with Oregon in 1973, individual states began to liberalize cannabis laws through decriminalization. In 1996, California became the first state to legalize medical cannabis, sparking a trend that spread to a majority of states by 2016. In 2012, Washington and Colorado became the first states to legalize cannabis for recreational use.
Initiative 71 was a voter-approved ballot measure in Washington, D.C., that legalized the recreational use of cannabis. The short title of the initiative was "Legalization of Possession of Minimal Amounts of Marijuana for Personal Use Act of 2014". The measure was approved by 64.87% of voters on November 4, 2014 and went into full effect on February 26, 2015.
Adam Eidinger is a Washington D.C. businessman and cannabis rights activist, known for his role in spearheading Initiative 71, which legalized cannabis in the District of Columbia in 2015.
Cannabis in Texas is illegal for recreational use. Possession of up to two ounces is a class B misdemeanor, punishable by up to 180 days in prison and a fine of up to $2000. Several of the state's major municipalities have enacted reforms to apply lesser penalties or limit enforcement, however.
Cannabis in Missouri is legal for recreational use. A ballot initiative to legalize recreational use passed by a 53–47 margin on November 8, 2022. Possession for adults 21 and over became legal on December 8, 2022, with the first licensed sales occurring on February 3, 2023.
Cannabis in New Mexico is legal for recreational use as of June 29, 2021. A bill to legalize recreational use – House Bill 2, the Cannabis Regulation Act – was signed by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham on April 12, 2021. The first licensed sales of recreational cannabis began on April 1, 2022.
Cannabis in Maryland is legal for medical use and illegal for recreational use, but as of January 1, 2023 thru June 30, 2023, decriminalization is temporarily expanded from possession of less than 1 oz to less than 1.5 oz, prior to full legalized recreational use of 1.5 oz or less on July 1st, 2023 due to the passage of the 2022 Maryland Question 4 referendum. In 2013, a state law was enacted to establish a state-regulated medical cannabis program. The program, known as the Natalie M. LaPrade Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission (MMCC) became operational on December 1, 2017.
Cannabis in Ohio is legal for medical use and illegal for recreational use. Since 1975, possession of up to 100 grams has been decriminalized, with several of the state's major cities having enacted further reforms. Medical use was legalized in 2016 through a bill passed by the state legislature.
In Washington, D.C., cannabis is legal for both medical use and recreational use for possession, personal use, cultivation, transportation and gifting, and for retail sale once a regulatory system is implemented following an affirmative vote by the residents on a 2014 ballot initiative. The United States Congress exercises oversight over the government of the District of Columbia, preventing the local government from regulating cannabis sales like other jurisdictions with authority derived from a U.S. state.
The 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Maryland was held on November 3, 2020, to elect the eight U.S. representatives from the state of Maryland, one from each of the state's eight congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections. On March 17, 2020, Governor Larry Hogan announced that the primary election would be postponed from April 28 to June 2 due to coronavirus concerns. On March 26, the Maryland Board of Elections met to consider whether in-person voting should be used for June's primary, and recommended that voting in June be mail-in only.
Carl Anderton Jr. is a Republican member of the Maryland House of Delegates representing district 38B.
The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act, also known as the MORE Act, is a proposed piece of U.S. federal legislation that would deschedule cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act and enact various criminal and social justice reforms related to cannabis, including the expungement of prior convictions.
