Author: Gaspard Le Dem
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Virginia House Committee Shelves Bill To ‘Defelonize’ Drug Possession
Lawmakers in Virginia’s House of Delegates unceremoniously shelved a bill on Friday that would have reduced criminal penalties for the possession of drugs. In a 6-2 vote, the House’s Courts of Justice Subcommittee #1 approved a motion for HB 612 to be “laid on the table” – meaning the measure is now unlikely to be…
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Virginia Lawmakers Propose Ban On Candy-Like Weed Edibles To Prevent Child Exposures
No more weed gummy bears? A pair of Virginia lawmakers wants to ban candy-like cannabis edibles that could appeal to children. Sen. Emmett Hanger (R-Mount Solon) filed legislation co-sponsored by Sen. Bill Stanley (R-Franklin) last week that would prohibit the sale or manufacture of cannabis products “that depict or are in the shape of a…
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Virginia Lawmakers Hit Impasse Over Releasing Cannabis Prisoners After Legalization
In Virginia, the fate of people incarcerated for cannabis-related crimes is still up in the air. On Monday, Virginia’s Cannabis Oversight Commission, a panel of lawmakers charged with making legislative recommendations for this year’s session, proposed speeding up the launch of recreational weed sales by one full year to 2023. But the 10-member commission couldn’t…
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Monday Rundown (01/10/22): Equity And Homegrow Wrapped Into One Bill
Your Weekly Buzz Maryland State Sen. Jill Carter expects to file an equity-focused cannabis legalization bill this week. The legislation, which serves as a companion piece to a proposed referendum on legalization, would allow home cultivation and allocate 60% of tax revenue from recreational sales to communities harmed by prohibition. Soon-to-be Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin…
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Virginia: Republicans Propose To Scrap Social Equity Fund, Undo Other Cannabis Reforms
As Virginia’s new legislative session gets under way, Republicans – emboldened after taking back the governor’s mansion and the House of Delegates – are taking aim at cannabis reforms passed by the General Assembly last year. GOP state lawmakers have pre-filed several measures that would roll back provisions from last year’s legalization bill, zeroing in…
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Monday Rundown (01/03/22): Just ‘Cause You Smell It Doesn’t Mean It’s There
Your Weekly Buzz The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled police can’t use the smell of weed alone to justify a search without a warrant. The decision grew from a case where state troopers searched a vehicle pulled over for a traffic violation after they smelled cannabis through a window. D.C.’s Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration…
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Virginia: Youngkin Says Legal Weed Possession Is Here To Stay But Takes Aim At Retail Sales
Virginia Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin says he won’t mess with a recently enacted law that legalized cannabis possession when he takes office later this month, though he has reservations about the launch of a regulated market for recreational weed. “I will not seek to overturn the law on personal possession,” he told Virginia Business in an…
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Maryland Lawmaker Pre-files Bill To Put Weed Legalization On 2022 Ballot
Maryland’s legislature is starting to lay the groundwork to put the question of cannabis legalization before voters in 2022. Del. Luke Clippinger (D-Baltimore City) pre-filed a bill on Wednesday that would place legalization on the ballot for a referendum in November. The legislation – dubbed HB 1 – has been assigned to the House’s Judiciary…
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AOC Presses Biden To Use Presidential Powers To Reform Cannabis Policy
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wants President Biden to flex his muscles as commander-in-chief to get cannabis reform and other policy changes done before it’s too late. The New York Democrat took to Twitter on Monday to urge the president to explore new ways of pushing his agenda through, noting that “time is running out” for Democrats.…
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Deadly Logan Circle Shooting Could Be Tied To Weed Delivery Gone Wrong
A shooting that left two men dead early on Monday morning in D.C.’s Logan Circle neighborhood may have been tied to a cannabis delivery gone wrong. According to a report by NBC4, D.C. police said the tragic incident occurred when a couple from out of town ordered weed delivered to an AirBnB unit they were…
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Monday Rundown (12/20/21): Bye Bye, Brian!
Your Weekly Buzz Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission Chair Brian Lopez on Thursday announced he would step down on Dec. 31. He served through nearly the entire storyline of Maryland’s fast-growing cannabis industry, from the launch of sales in 2017 to a more recent expansion phase that sought to bring more equity to the sector. A…
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Monday Rundown (12/13/21): Virginia Is For Shrooms
Dear readers, our newsletter is back! Starting today, we’ll send you a carefully curated rundown of the top cannabis news and events from the D.C. region and beyond. Every Monday morning. Straight to your inbox. Your Weekly Buzz Virginia activists on Thursday kicked off a statewide campaign to decriminalize a broad range of entheogenic plants,…