Category: Business
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This D.C. Delivery Service Brings Motivation (And Bud) To Your Doorstep
Ryan Ha wasn’t cut out for a nine to five life. He tried it in earnest for two years, working for a software company and saving paychecks, but the University of Michigan graduate spent his days dreaming about the distant prospect of retirement. Eventually, he hit a breaking point. So in 2014, drawing on his…
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Cannabis Banking Reforms Delayed Once Again After Being Stripped From Defense Bill
In a 363 to 70 vote, House lawmakers on Tuesday night passed a new version of a bicameral defense spending bill that doesn’t include cannabis banking reforms, sparking disappointment and frustration among advocates and stakeholders. Back in September, the House had approved an initial version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) with provisions to…
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Lawmakers Mull How Maryland Should Go About Taxing Recreational Cannabis
Taxing purchases of cannabis for adult use in Maryland could bring hundreds of millions of dollars into the state’s coffers in the coming years, though just how much will vary depending on whether lawmakers decide to tax purchases based on price, potency or quantity. That was one of the major questions considered by members of…
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West Virginia Is Gearing Up For A Medical Cannabis Boom. But Will It Be Equitable?
After more than four years of delay, brick-and-mortar medicinal cannabis dispensaries are beginning to pop up in West Virginia. Earlier this month, Florida-headquartered Trulieve became the first company to launch a medical dispensary in the state since cannabis use was legalized for registered patients in April of 2017. More than 200 people lined up for…
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Why The Republican Cannabis Legalization Bill Could Have Better Odds Than Democratic Proposals
After years of Democrats steering the cannabis conversation on Capitol Hill, federal legalization is officially no longer a one-party issue. On Monday, South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace and Republican colleagues unveiled the States Reform Act, which would remove cannabis from the list of drugs scheduled under the Controlled Substances Act, impose a 3% federal tax…
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Maryland Lawmakers Discuss MSOs, Minority Ownership Challenges At House Legalization Hearing
As Maryland looks to at last join its neighbors in legalizing recreational cannabis and supercharge a medical industry that has generated more than half-a-billion dollars this year, concerns loom about how Black entrepreneurs can get in on the green rush before it’s too late. At the fourth meeting of the Maryland House Cannabis Legalization Workgroup…
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D.C. Council Lifts Restrictions on Medical Cannabis Industry, Backs Off Gray Market Crackdown
The D.C. Council on Tuesday unanimously approved an emergency bill that aims to bolster the District’s medical cannabis program by easing restrictions on its patients. The measure, proposed last week by Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, extends the validity of patient registrations, creates two-year medical cannabis cards, doubles the amount of cannabis patients can legally carry…
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D.C. Council Chairman Proposes Emergency Bill To Crack Down On Unlicensed Cannabis Shops
The D.C. Council will consider an emergency measure next week that would give local authorities more power to crack down on the dozens of businesses that sell cannabis without a medical permit in the District — also known as the gray market. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson on Thursday requested to add the emergency bill to…
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Wu-Tang Clan’s Raekwon Is Eyeing A D.C. Dispensary License For His Cannabis Franchise
Wu-Tang Clan’s Shallah Raekwon may be eyeing D.C. as the next potential location for his Oregon-based cannabis franchise. It appears the rapper turned weed entrepreneur has tossed his hat into the ring for the District’s latest round of cannabis permitting. A list published in August by the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA), which runs D.C.’s…
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Maryland: Annapolis Lobbyists Launch Trade Group For Minority-Owned Cannabis Businesses
As Maryland’s momentum builds for full-on cannabis legalization in 2022, a pair of lobbyists from both sides of the aisle have formed an association to represent minority business interests in the industry. As first reported by Maryland Matters this week, former Maryland Republican Party chair John Kane and ex-Prince George’s County Del. Michael Arrington, a…
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In Richmond, A New Cannabis Nursery Teaches People to Grow Their Own Medicine
Note: This story was first published by District Fray Magazine as part of a collaboration with The Outlaw Report on Take Me Down to Cannabis City, an insider’s guide to the legalization of cannabis in Virginia. About 20 years ago in Temecula, California, Joe Vega stepped out into his parent’s backyard to plant his first…