Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland Senate Bill SB370 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	sb0370
6	6
7	7	SENATE BILL 370
8	8	E1 5lr2578
9	9	HB 706/24 – JUD CF 5lr1996
10	10	By: Senator McCray (By Request – Baltimore City Administration)
11	11	Introduced and read first time: January 17, 2025
12	12	Assigned to: Judicial Proceedings
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	Drug Paraphernalia for Administration – Decriminalization 2
19	19
20	20	FOR the purpose of repealing the prohibition against a person using or possessing with 3
21	21	intent to use, delivering or selling under certain circumstances, or manufacturing or 4
22	22	possessing with intent to deliver or sell under certain circumstances drug 5
23	23	paraphernalia to inject, ingest, inhale, or otherwise introduce into the human body 6
24	24	a controlled dangerous substance; altering a prohibition against a person possessing 7
25	25	or distributing controlled paraphernalia under circumstances that reasonably 8
26	26	indicate an intention to use the controlled paraphernalia for certain purposes; 9
27	27	altering a list of certain items that indicate intent to use certain controlled 10
28	28	paraphernalia for certain purposes; and generally relating to drug paraphernalia. 11
29	29
30	30	BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 12
31	31	Article – Criminal Law 13
32	32	Section 5–101(a) 14
33	33	Annotated Code of Maryland 15
34	34	(2021 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 16
35	35
36	36	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 17
37	37	Article – Criminal Law 18
38	38	Section 5–101(h), 5–619(c) and (d), and 5–620(a), (b), and (d) 19
39	39	Annotated Code of Maryland 20
40	40	(2021 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 21
41	41
42	42	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 22
43	43	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 23
44	44
45	45	Article – Criminal Law 24
46	46
47	47	5–101. 25
48	48	2 SENATE BILL 370
49	49
50	50
51	51	(a) In this title the following words have the meanings indicated. 1
52	52
53	53	(h) “Controlled paraphernalia” means: 2
54	54
55	55	(1) [a hypodermic syringe, needle, or any other object or combination of 3
56	56	objects adapted to administer a controlled dangerous substance by hypodermic injection; 4
57	57
58	58	(2)] a gelatin capsule, glassine envelope, or other container suitable for 5
59	59	packaging individual quantities of a controlled dangerous substance; or 6
60	60
61	61	[(3)] (2) lactose, quinine, mannite, mannitol, dextrose, sucrose, procaine 7
62	62	hydrochloride, or any other substance suitable as a diluent or adulterant. 8
63	63
64	64	5–619. 9
65	65
66	66	(c) (1) Unless authorized under this title, a person may not use or possess with 10
67	67	intent to use drug paraphernalia to[: 11
68	68
69	69	(i)] plant, propagate, cultivate, grow, harvest, manufacture, 12
70	70	compound, convert, produce, process, prepare, pack, repack, store, contain, or conceal a 13
71	71	controlled dangerous substance[; or 14
72	72
73	73	(ii) inject, ingest, inhale, or otherwise introduce into the human body 15
74	74	a controlled dangerous substance]. 16
75	75
76	76	(2) A person who violates this subsection is guilty of a misdemeanor and 17
77	77	on conviction is subject to: 18
78	78
79	79	(i) for a first violation, a fine not exceeding $500; and 19
80	80
81	81	(ii) for each subsequent violation, imprisonment not exceeding [2 20
82	82	years] 1 YEAR or a fine not exceeding [$2,000] $1,000 or both. 21
83	83
84	84	(3) A person who is convicted of violating this subsection for the first time 22
85	85	and who previously has been convicted of violating subsection (d)(4) of this section is subject 23
86	86	to the penalty specified under paragraph (2)(ii) of this subsection. 24
87	87
88	88	(d) (1) Unless authorized under this title, a person may not deliver or sell, or 25
89	89	manufacture or possess with intent to deliver or sell, drug paraphernalia, knowing, or 26
90	90	under circumstances where one reasonably should know, that the drug paraphernalia will 27
91	91	be used to[: 28
92	92
93	93	(i)] plant, propagate, cultivate, grow, harvest, manufacture, 29
94	94	compound, convert, produce, process, prepare, pack, repack, store, contain, or conceal a 30
95	95	controlled dangerous substance[; or 31
96	96	SENATE BILL 370 3
97	97
98	98
99	99	(ii) inject, ingest, inhale, or otherwise introduce into the human body 1
100	100	a controlled dangerous substance]. 2
101	101
102	102	(2) A person who violates this subsection is guilty of a misdemeanor and 3
103	103	on conviction is subject to: 4
104	104
105	105	(i) for a first violation, a fine not exceeding $500; and 5
106	106
107	107	(ii) for each subsequent violation, imprisonment not exceeding [2 6
108	108	years] 1 YEAR or a fine not exceeding [$2,000] $1,000 or both. 7
109	109
110	110	(3) A person who is convicted of violating this subsection for the first time 8
111	111	and who previously has been convicted of violating paragraph (4) of this subsection is 9
112	112	subject to imprisonment not exceeding 2 years or a fine not exceeding $2,000 or both. 10
113	113
114	114	(4) If a person who is at least 18 years old violates paragraph (1) of this 11
115	115	subsection by delivering drug paraphernalia to a minor who is at least 3 years younger than 12
116	116	the person, the person is guilty of a separate misdemeanor and on conviction is subject to 13
117	117	imprisonment not exceeding 8 years or a fine not exceeding $15,000 or both. 14
118	118
119	119	5–620. 15
120	120
121	121	(a) Unless authorized under this title, a person may not: 16
122	122
123	123	(1) obtain or attempt to obtain controlled paraphernalia by: 17
124	124
125	125	(i) fraud, deceit, misrepresentation, or subterfuge; 18
126	126
127	127	(ii) counterfeiting a prescription or a written order; 19
128	128
129	129	(iii) concealing a material fact or the use of a false name or address; 20
130	130
131	131	(iv) falsely assuming the title of or representing to be a 21
132	132	manufacturer, distributor, or authorized provider; or 22
133	133
134	134	(v) making or issuing a false or counterfeit prescription or written 23
135	135	order; or 24
136	136
137	137	(2) possess or distribute controlled paraphernalia under circumstances 25
138	138	which reasonably indicate an intention to use the controlled paraphernalia for purposes of 26
139	139	illegally [administering] MANUFACTURING , DISTRIBUTING, OR DISPENSING a 27
140	140	controlled dangerous substance. 28
141	141
142	142	(b) Evidence of circumstances that reasonably indicate an intent to use controlled 29
143	143	paraphernalia to manufacture, [administer,] distribute, or dispense a controlled dangerous 30
144	144	substance unlawfully include the close proximity of the controlled paraphernalia to an 31 4 SENATE BILL 370
145	145
146	146
147	147	adulterant, diluent, or equipment commonly used to illegally manufacture, [administer,] 1
148	148	distribute, or dispense controlled dangerous substances, including: 2
149	149
150	150	(1) a scale; 3
151	151
152	152	(2) a sieve; 4
153	153
154	154	(3) a strainer; 5
155	155
156	156	(4) [a measuring spoon; 6
157	157
158	158	(5)] staples; 7
159	159
160	160	[(6)] (5) a stapler; 8
161	161
162	162	[(7)] (6) a glassine envelope; 9
163	163
164	164	[(8)] (7) a gelatin capsule; 10
165	165
166	166	[(9)] (8) procaine hydrochloride; 11
167	167
168	168	[(10)] (9) mannitol; 12
169	169
170	170	[(11)] (10) lactose; 13
171	171
172	172	[(12)] (11) quinine; and 14
173	173
174	174	[(13)] (12) a controlled dangerous substance. 15
175	175
176	176	(d) A person who violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction 16
177	177	is subject to imprisonment not exceeding [4 years] 1 YEAR or a fine not exceeding [$25,000] 17
178	178	$1,000 or both. 18
179	179
180	180	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 19
181	181	October 1, 2025. 20
182	182