BALTIMORE -- The new year comes with new laws.
The year 2023 comes with changes that center around marijuana and the minimum wage in Maryland.
This includes the amount of pot a person can legally possess, the recreational use of marijuana, and expunging certain cases from one's record.
State lawmakers will be in charge of setting up the state's recreational marijuana industry.
Retail sales will fall under rules and regulations when the law goes into effect in July.
But for now, certain penalties for possession are being reduced.
"I think it's about time," Baltimore resident Theresa Brown said.
In this case, the time was midnight. On Jan. 1, 2023, that's when the laws went into effect.
The possession of up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana will no longer levy a criminal charge.
Instead, a person will have to pay a civil penalty of $250.
The law also creates a process for expunging all cases in which possession of fewer than 10 grams of cannabis is the only charge, along with additional expungement provisions, according to the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission.
"I had a lot of arrests when I was younger for possession," Baltimore resident Dave Nyquist said. "It's still there. I'm in my 40s now but it's still there. I'm still a criminal for something that shouldn't be criminalized."
The legal use of recreational marijuana in Maryland is also around the corner.
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