Category: Criminal Justice
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Maryland Governor Grants Historic Cannabis Pardons
Maryland Governor grants historic cannabis pardons to over 175,000 residents, addressing racial bias in past enforcement. This move is the largest state pardon to date and aligns with national calls for cannabis justice reform. While a step forward, expungement is still needed. Learn more and find resources for free expungement clinics.
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D.C. man convicted of cannabis trafficking involved in failed DRC coup
Benjamin Zalman-Polun, a Maryland resident with a past cannabis conviction, was among three Americans caught in a failed coup attempt in the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to the Associated Press. The operation was led by Christian Malanga, a Congolese-American with whom Zalman-Polun appears to have connected through a gold mining company. Zalman-Polun’s background reveals…
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Q&A: Terrence White to Lead I-71 Committee, a Business Coalition in D.C.’s Cannabis Gray Market
The I-71 Committee has had a busy year of advocacy. Amid a push over the last year by D.C. government to more closely regulate and inspect recreational cannabis “gifting” businesses and bolster the city’s medical cannabis market, it’s been a time for gray market business operators to “come out of the shadows,” says Terrence White,…
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A New Task Force Will Increase Scrutiny of D.C.’s I-71 Market Starting Next Week
UPDATE September 15, 3 p.m.: The Joint Cannabis Task Force has reportedly delayed inspections for an indefinite period of time. Unlicensed cannabis businesses operating in the District of Columbia’s gray market can expect more inspections and heightened regulatory scrutiny after the end of Labor Day weekend. Next Tuesday marks the launch of inspections by the…
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Virginia Lawmakers Approve ‘Opaque’ Budget Deal Creating New Cannabis Crimes
Virginia lawmakers on Wednesday approved a budget package for the state’s upcoming fiscal year that includes last-minute amendments to create new crimes for cannabis possession and impose tougher restrictions on hemp products like CBD. The amendments would make possessing more than four ounces of weed in the commonwealth a misdemeanor punishable by a $500 fine…
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After Speedy Deliberation, Jury Finds Jonathan Wall Guilty Of Weed Trafficking Conspiracy
After a five-day trial, a jury on Friday found Maryland native Jonathan Wall guilty of partaking in a years-long, coast-to-coast cannabis trafficking scheme. Wall’s trial, which kicked off Monday with protests and a blaring billboard truck outside the federal courthouse in downtown Baltimore, culminated Friday with closing arguments, less than two hours of jury deliberations…
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Jonathan Wall Cannabis Trial Kicks Off With A Protest, Strict Courthouse Rules And Jury Selection
A high-profile federal cannabis trafficking trial kicked off on Monday with jury selection, strict rules for spectators and an eye-catching scene outside the Edward A. Garmatz United States Courthouse in downtown Baltimore. Jonathan William Wall, a 27-year-old Maryland native, is facing at least 10 years in prison for helping to move thousands of pounds of…
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Virginia Lawmakers Drop Bill To Create New Weed Crimes, Crack Down On Delta-8
The Virginia Senate on Wednesday voted to shelve a bill that would have created new crimes for possessing weed while imposing stricter restrictions on the commonwealth’s hemp industry. S.B. 591, introduced in January by Sen. Emmett Hanger, a Republican representing Mount Solon, initially sought to prohibit the sale of weed edibles shaped like candy in…
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Jonathan Wall Case: Judge Bans All Legalization Arguments From Upcoming Weed Trafficking Trial
When Jonathan Wall’s federal cannabis-trafficking trial begins next week in Baltimore, there will be no discussion of the fact that cannabis is now legal in 18 states and counting. That’s the order from U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher, who on Tuesday approved a pretrial motion by prosecutors calling for the court to bar any discussion…
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The Federal Cannabis Trial You Should Be Watching In Maryland
Maybe you saw the ad in The Washington Post: “Who will be the last person incarcerated for marijuana in the United States?” Or you heard about the man from one of the many publications that have highlighted his detention. Jonathan William Wall is a Maryland native whose federal cannabis distribution indictment and upcoming court trial…
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After Spate Of Deadly Fentanyl Overdoses In D.C., ‘Harm Reduction’ Advocates Say It’s Time To Decriminalize All Drugs
Advocates say tragic incidents like last week’s deadly spate of overdoses in Southwest D.C. could be avoided by decriminalizing drugs and implementing policies that seek to protect, rather than punish, people suffering from addiction. Three people died near Nationals Park on Friday after a potent batch of fentanyl led to at least 10 overdoses, according…
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Virginia Senate Committee Kills Psilocybin Decriminalization Bill
A nascent effort to decriminalize psilocybin in Virginia fell short Monday after a state Senate committee voted to indefinitely table the legislation. After two January hearings on SB 262, which would have lowered possession of psilocybin and psilocin from a felony offense to a misdemeanor punishable with a $100 civil fine, the Virginia Senate Judiciary…