County bill would set up cannabis reinvestment fund and expand advisory panel

Maureen Evans Arthurs, director of government affairs and strategic partnerships for the County Executive’s office, explained Council Bill 19-2024, which would create the Community Reinvestment and Repair Fund (CRRF) required by the state law that governs distribution of adult-use cannabis tax revenues. She said Maryland levies a 9% tax on recreational adult-use cannabis, 35% of which is allocated to local governments for community reinvestment, and that Howard County’s annual share would be 2.68 percent as identified by the Maryland Office of Social Equity.

Evans Arthurs said the bill would expand the county’s existing cannabis advisory panel to recommend which community-based organizations and grantees receive CRRF funding and would add an ex officio member or designee from the Office of Human Rights and Equity. The funding is intended for initiatives that serve low-income or disproportionately impacted areas; the county’s proportional share was tied to zip codes 21044 and 21045 in the state’s allocation methodology.

She answered no follow-up questions during the hearing. The transcript records the bill explanation and the council’s acknowledgment; no vote appears in the hearing transcript.