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Fair warning, this is a real puff piece.

Today's medical marijuana bill hearing will be held in — where else? — the Joint Hearing Room.

No joke; here's the verbatim description from the legislative calendar under the House Health and Government Operations Committee schedule.

"PLEASE NOTE: The hearing for HB 712 will be a joint hearing with the Judiciary Committee in the Joint Hearing Room of the Legislative Services Building."

Advocates are high on the bill's prospects this year, saying that there's only tokin' opposition.

The joint hearing will allow the law and order and health policy committees to hash out any sticking points.

"The snack tax opponents should make sure Frito-Lay has plenty of Doritos there for us," quipped David Brinkley, a leading medical marijuana advocate in the Senate.

Several State House observers noted the ironic venue for the hearing, so the joke was growing — wait for it — like a weed.

If nothing else, that shows how much of a drag this session has been.

— Alan Brody

Strange bedfellows

Even in the politically charged atmosphere of Annapolis, bill hearings sometimes unite rivals.

Last week, Peter Murphy testified on legislation to provide a property tax credit for homes formerly owned by Habitat for Humanity in Charles County. He was joined at the hearing by two people who don't often side with Democrats.

On one side was Joe Crawford, a perennial Republican candidate for elected office in Charles County. On the other, Mike Phillips, a Republican who's running for the House of Delegates in Murphy's three-member district.

Crawford is the group's president; Phillips serves as secretary.

Murphy joked that if the bill passes, it might convince the two GOPers to cast a vote for him this fall.

Pretty slick campaign tactic, huh?

— Alan Brody

Just visiting

A Wednesday news conference in which gay rights advocates praised Attorney General Doug Gansler's opinion that Maryland will recognize same-sex marriages from other states included a surprise guest appearance.

"I want to thank Del. Emmett Burns for coming, because I guess he's having a change of heart," said Sen. Rich Madaleno, causing assembled media and onlookers to spin around to see Burns standing near the entrance to the room.

"He's coming here and now coming out for marriage equality," said

Madaleno, drawing laughter from advocates who helped defeat Burns' bill to block Maryland from performing same-sex marriages or recognizing those performed out-of-state.

The legislation received an unfavorable report from the House Judiciary Committee earlier this month.

"I'm impressed," said Burns, who smiled and waved from the back of the audience.

— Sean R. Sedam

Lights, camera, action

First, George Owings took the stage. Now, it's Anthony Brown's turn.

Less than two weeks after the ex-delegate-cum-gubernatorial-hopeful co-starred in a two-man play in Chesapeake Beach, the light guv was slated to make his stage debut Thursday night

He joined a star-studded cast of local judicial officials at Bowie State University to perform "Full Truth," a story about the life of the late Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.

Brown was to play the role of Spottswood Robinson, a judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and an NAACP colleague of Marshall's.

"The lieutenant governor was looking forward to it from Jump Street," Brown's spokesman Mike Raia said hours before the curtain went up.

The chief judge of Maryland's highest court, Robert Bell, will portray Marshall, and several other local jurists have been cast in various roles. Former looie Kathleen Kennedy Townsend will deliver opening remarks.

Best guess is Brown hopes to butter up the arts community for a potential 2014 gubernatorial run, since Martin O'Malley's Irish rock band membership has served him well. In fact, O'Malley will be inducted next month into the Gonzaga College High School Theatrical Hall of Fame. Gonzaga is the guv's alma mater.

— Alan Brody

A story he's sticking to

Wednesday's news conference lauding the attorney general's opinion saying Maryland would recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states included a bit of levity that highlighted political reality.

Del. Ben Barnes said a bill he introduced to legalize same-sex marriages performed in Maryland has the votes to get out of the House Judiciary Committee.

"Do you expect the bill to come out of the committee?" asked Lou Davis, a reporter with Maryland Public Television's "State Circle" program.

"Again, we have the votes," Barnes said.

"I know, but ..." Davis said, eliciting knowing laughter from advocates and media alike. "That wasn't my question."

"That's my answer," deadpanned a smirking Barnes.

— Sean R. Sedam

Along came a spider

A spider helped illustrate Tuesday just how bad Montgomery County's budget situation is.

During a briefing on the fiscal 2011 budget with County Executive Ike Leggett and the County Council, a spider crawled out of Chief Administrative Officer Timothy Firestine's budget documents.

"It comes with webs," Councilwoman Duchy Trachtenberg said.

As the spider crawled across the table toward council President Nancy Floreen, she conked it with her cell phone.

"Not the iPhone," a council member said.

During the briefing, the council learned the county's fiscal 2011 budget shortfall has grown to $762 million.

— Erin Cunningham

Don't let the door hit you ...

Prince George's County delegates said Thursday they are weighing legislation to cut short an attempt by County Executive Jack Johnson to appoint one of his top aides to head the county planning board as Johnson's term nears its end.

Sponsor Del. Dereck Davis said he plans to introduce a bill that would shorten the term of nominee David Byrd if he is appointed to replace current planning chairman Samuel Parker. Under the proposal, instead of serving until at least 2012, Byrd's term would end in February 2011, when a newly elected county executive would get to name a replacement. Johnson is prevented by term limits from running for the office again this year.

Johnson's decision last week to name Byrd to replace Parker is drawing complaints about its propriety.

Parker said earlier this week he received no notice from Johnson that he was being replaced.

"To appoint someone new on the way out the door, when you only have seven months left? I don't get that," said Davis, adding other county delegates are also supporting the measure, including Justin Ross and Carolyn Howard.

— Daniel Valentine