SB 54 Maryland Senate · 2026 Regular Session

State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners - Grounds for Disciplinary Action - Restrictions

SB 54 prohibits the State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners from disciplining veterinarians who discuss or recommend cannabis or CBD products for therapeutic or health purposes in animal care. It amends Maryland law (specifically Section 2-310 of the Agriculture Article) to explicitly block license suspensions, revocations, reprimands, or probation solely for this type of professional communication. The bill directly affects licensed veterinarians in Maryland, protecting their ability to discuss these options with pet owners. It takes effect October 1, 2026, and does not change other disciplinary grounds like malpractice or criminal convictions.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Sep 2025
Committee Review
Apr 2026
Senate Passage
Apr 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Apr 2026
Signed into Law
Apr 2026
Introduced Sep 19, 2025 Signed Apr 14, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

First - State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners - Grounds for Disciplinary Action - Restrictions Third - State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners - Grounds for Disciplinary Action - Restrictions · 2 edits
MINOR
This bill updates the legislative metadata to reflect its adoption and assigns it to the Agriculture Article instead of the Alcoholic Beverages and Cannabis Article. It also restores the original definition of 'Cannabis' to include THC concentrations greater than 0.3%, reversing a previous exclusion of hemp products from that definition.
Scope change
The bill's scope shifted from the Alcoholic Beverages and Cannabis Article to the Agriculture Article, and the definition of 'Cannabis' was modified to include hemp products.
SCOPE

The bill was reassigned from the Alcoholic Beverages and Cannabis Article to the Agriculture Article.

DEFINITION

The definition of 'Cannabis' was changed to no longer exclude hemp or hemp products as previously defined in the Agriculture Article.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 3, 2026 · House of Delegates Mar 20, 2026

How they voted

470
Passed · 2 other
Total votes 49
Mar 3, 2026
D Democratic36
34 Yea 2
94% Yea
R Republican13
13 Yea
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
16
Key actions
10
Committee
6
Apr 14, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by the Governor - Chapter 48
executive
Apr 8, 2026
Upper · Passed
Returned Passed
upper
Apr 7, 2026
Lower · Passed
Third Reading Passed
lower
Apr 3, 2026
Lower · Passed
Favorable Adopted Second Reading Passed
lower
Apr 3, 2026
Lower · Passed
Favorable Report by Environment and Transportation
lower
Mar 20, 2026
Committee
Referred Environment and Transportation
lower
Mar 20, 2026
House Of Delegates · Passed
House of Delegates Vote: pass (138-0-4)
house of delegates
Mar 19, 2026
Upper · Passed
Third Reading Passed
upper
Mar 18, 2026
Upper · Passed
Favorable Adopted
upper
Mar 16, 2026
Upper · Passed
Favorable Report by Education, Energy, and the Environment
upper
Mar 3, 2026
Senate · Passed
Senate Vote: pass (47-0-2)
senate
Jan 14, 2026
Committee
First Reading Education, Energy, and the Environment
upper
Sep 19, 2025
Introduced
Pre-filed
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Clarence Lam
Clarence Lam
DDemocratic
MD
12