Now that recreational marijuana use is legal in Maryland, Montgomery County Chief of Police Marcus Jones said complaints about people smoking marijuana in places such as apartment buildings or condos is “not a police matter.”
Officials in the police department and with the office of State’s Attorney John McCarthy are having an ongoing conversation about Montgomery County’s approach to dealing with “the issue surrounding cannabis, the legalization of it, as well as what will we be doing in response to calls for service surrounding it,” Jones said.
On July 1, recreational marijuana became legal in Maryland. It’s also legal in D.C. and Virginia.
Even though the public can now legally purchase marijuana, Jones said members of the public can’t sell it.
“They can gift it, but not sell it,” Jones said.
Police, he said, haven’t focused on “strong enforcement efforts around that,” but it may eventually become something law enforcement has to address.
While the department has historically responded to complaints about people smoking marijuana in apartments or condos, Jones said the department will no longer be responding to those calls.
For residents in those environments who may be adversely impacted by people smoking, Jones recommends contacting the resident manager “to try to figure out what is the policy of the lease agreements, and what is the policy of that lease management company moving forward.”
“We just want to make sure the community knows that’s not a police matter,” Jones said.
