Category: Criminal Justice
-
D.C.’s Eleanor Holmes Norton To Speak At Major Conference On Financial Issues For Cannabis Sector
Cannabis entrepreneurs and industry professionals will gather on Thursday at the Capitol Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C. for a two-day conference that aims to address the vast financial and banking challenges facing the growing weed sector. Though 47 U.S. states have now legalized cannabis in some form, most pot businesses still struggle to access basic…
-
In Photos: Here’s What You Missed At This Year’s National Cannabis Festival
Crowds were greeted with an uplifting herbal aroma on Saturday as they approached D.C.’s RFK Stadium for the fifth annual National Cannabis Festival. But just in case people didn’t recognize the smell, there was a 20-foot-long inflatable sign by the entrance that read “CANNABIS” in giant red-and-white letters. Consumers, advocates, and industry professionals have congregated…
-
Maryland: Cannabis Advocates Say A Referendum On Legalization Would Let Lawmakers Off The Hook
Local cannabis justice groups are voicing their opposition to a 2022 referendum on pot legalization in Maryland after House Speaker Adrienne Jones announced her support for the measure last month. “While I have personal concerns about encouraging marijuana use, particularly among children and young adults, the disparate criminal justice impact leads me to believe that…
-
Maryland NORML Said It Won’t Support a Legalization Ballot Measure if It Doesn’t Protect Home Grow
At a Aug. 6 meeting, the Maryland chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) decided they would not support a ballot measure to legalize cannabis in 2022 if the accompanying legislation does not permit residents to grow it themselves at home. The chapter meeting comes two weeks after the House…
-
All Eyes Turn To Senate As House Approves Budget That Drops Ban On D.C. Pot Sales
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a package of spending bills on Thursday July 29 that, if enacted, would allow D.C. to launch a regulated market for recreational cannabis sales. D.C. voters overwhelmingly approved possession and home cultivation in a 2014 ballot initiative, but a Congressional budget rider has blocked the jurisdiction from using local…
-
This Virginia Couple Is Selling Pot “Stashboxes” To Keep Drivers Safe From Open Container Laws
Consuming cannabis may now be legal in Virginia, but getting caught with pot behind the wheel can still get you in trouble. Under the commonwealth’s new laws, which went into effect on July 1, having an open container of cannabis in your car is considered a Class 4 misdemeanor. That’s Virginia’s lowest-level criminal offense, meaning…
-
Goodness Growth Holdings Expands Into Maryland’s Cannabis Industry Amid Psychedelics Research Partnership With Johns Hopkins
Goodness Growth Holdings, formerly known as Vireo Health, announced its $8 million purchase of Charm City Medicus dispensary in Baltimore earlier this month marking the acquisition of it’s second dispensary in Maryland. Upon the deal closing, Charm City Medicus will begin operating under the company’s dispensary brand “Green Goods.” The other Green Goods location opened…
-
D.C. Police Chief Says Cannabis Is Fueling A Surge In Gun Violence. Advocates Say That’s ‘Absurd.’
A series of recent shootings in some of D.C.’s wealthy neighborhoods has left local officials scrambling to address gun violence in parts of D.C. that generally do not experience it. Though many District residents face gun violence on a daily basis, the public outcry first erupted when 6-year-old Nyiah Courtney was killed in a drive-by-shooting…
-
Maryland Speaker of the House Supports Cannabis Legalization Referendum in 2022. This Could Have Passed Years Ago.
Maryland’s House of Delegates Speaker Adrienne Jones (D) announced last week she supports a ballot referendum to legalize cannabis in 2022. If cannabis legalization was posed as a question on the 2022 ballot, it would be likely to pass considering the growing majority of Maryland residents that have favored legalization since 2015, according to an…
-
‘High and Holy’: Baltimore City Baptist Church Holds Conversation About Cannabis Legalization
Last week, the marquee sign in front of Pleasant Hope Baptist Church in Baltimore displayed a message in support of the Olympic sprinter who was barred from competition after testing positive for THC: “Sha’carri Richardson you are still that girl #Legalize.” the sign read. In his blog, the church’s Reverend Dr. Heber Brown III said…
-
Schumer (Finally) Unveils Long-Awaited First Draft Of Landmark Legalization Bill
After months of anticipation, a trio of Democratic Senators have finally unveiled the first draft of a major bill aimed at legalizing cannabis at the federal level. The 163-page document, titled the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, has broad implications for the future of pot in America, tackling issues from regulation to reparations. Sen. Majority…
-
Virginia Legalized Cannabis. For Public Housing Residents, It’s Still Banned.
Recreational cannabis may now be legal in Virginia, but not everyone is reaping the benefits. For Virginians who live in public housing or receive federal rental assistance, using cannabis at home remains prohibited, and could have serious consequences. That’s because cannabis is still a federally banned substance, and organizations that get money from the U.S.…