MORHAIM REPRIMANDED: The House of Delegates punished Del. Dan Morhaim with a formal reprimand Friday because he advocated for policies that benefit medical marijuana companies without fully disclosing that he was a paid consultant for one, reports Erin Cox in the Sun.
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The 138-to-0 vote for a resolution of reprimand follows an investigation by the Joint Committee on Legislative Ethics, which concluded that Morhaim’s actions were “improper” and violated the principles — if not the letter — of state ethics law, Fenit Nirappil and Aaron Gregg report in the Post. “It is our duty to uphold the integrity of this body by rejecting improper influences,” Del. Adrienne A. Jones, co-chair of the ethics committee, said on the House floor Friday.
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The ethics committee recommended the reprimand for Morhaim for using his influence as a public official to seek changes in the law that could result in the financial benefit of a company for which he is a consultant. Doctors’ Orders LLC has been given preliminary approval for three separate licenses for growing, processing and dispensing medical marijuana, John Rydell reports for WBFF-TV.
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Bryan Sears of the Daily Record reports that Morhaim called the ethics review “a distraction from the important issues facing Maryland citizens, like our decades-long substance abuse crisis, our failure to make medical cannabis available to thousands of citizens who are suffering needlessly. How was that program blocked for 15 years? That is a subject worthy of in-depth reporting far more significant than this circus.”
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WYPR-FM’s Rachel Baye reports that the committee’s decision followed a months-long investigation into Morhaim’s role as both a member of the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission and a paid consultant with Doctors Orders.
OPINIONS ON MORHAIM: In a commentary for MarylandReporter.com, Barry Rascovar opines that Morhaim’s apology wasn’t much of one. A day before that he had issued a three-page defense, blaming the media for “erroneous” reports of his activities. He later called what had transpired a “circus” in which his actions had been badly distorted. After reading the committee report, it is clear only Morhaim is at fault for what went wrong. It cost him his credibility, his subcommittee chairmanship and his leadership post in Annapolis.