Category: Federal
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Anti-Cannabis Congressman Andy Harris Downplays COVID-19’s Impact
Maryland’s only Republican congressman and all-around enemy to cannabis reform Andy Harris has been in the news lately, battling with Maryland governor Larry Hogan regarding “stay at home” orders tied to the COVID-19 pandemic and it seems, expressing disappointment that the virus has only killed nearly 100,000 Americans. “They promised two million dead at the…
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Physician Volunteering To Help With COVID-19 Rejected Because She Uses Medicinal Cannabis
Alexys Hillman, a Board Certified physician, Army veteran, and medicinal cannabis patient came all the way from Pensacola, Florida to Baltimore, Maryland to help those suffering from COVID-19 before she was told by Johns Hopkins Medicine that she would not be able to volunteer because she used cannabis. Back in early April, Hillman was looking…
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Senators Harris, Sanders, Warren and More Request Federal Support for Cannabis Companies During COVID-19
Cannabis companies have been locked out of federal support due to cannabis remaining illegal under federal law, but 10 senators are working to change that. A letter signed by Senators Michael Bennet, Catherine Cortez Masto, Kirsten Gillibrand, Kamala Harris, Ed Markey, Jeff Merkley, Jacky Rosen, Bernie Sanders, Ron Wyden, and Elizabeth Warren was sent to…
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15 Year-Old Federal Grant Revoked Because Maryland Town Rented Space to a Cannabis Grower
The town of Hancock, MD has agreed to pay back a $600,000 federal loan they received to rehab a building because they began renting that building out to a cannabis company in 2015, nearly a decade after the loan was given to them. In 2015, Harvest Health & Recreation Inc., an Arizona-based cannabis company with…
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Federal Court: ‘Common Sense’ That Cops Can Search Residence Due To Cannabis Smell
While a bill to decriminalize cannabis in the state of Virginia moved through the House and Senate earlier this year (it was ultimately approved by Governor Ralph Northam earlier this month), the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Virginia was making its decision regarding a 2016 arrest that began with a…
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The Outlaw Report Talks Cannabis and Cops on The Real News Network
For 4/20, The Outlaw Report’s Brandon Soderberg joined The Real News Network’s daily live commentary show Stir Crazy! to discuss a number of cannabis issues with host Kim Brown and reporter Baynard Woods and Real News producer Jaisal Noor. Topics include the ACLU’s new report on racial disparity and cannabis arrests, how 4/20 has changed…
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Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton Pushes For Commercial Cannabis in Washington D.C.
On Friday, April 3, Democratic Congresswoman for Washington, D.C. Eleanor Holmes Norton demanded Congress remove the rider that prevents D.C. from using local funds to establish a commercial recreational cannabis industry in the district. “At this moment of unparalleled need, D.C. should be able to collect tax revenue from all available sources, like every other…
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Maryland and D.C. Dispensaries Cannot Receive Federal Stimulus Funds
As The Outlaw Report noted last week, cannabis companies are not eligible for federal support from the Small Business Administration (SBA) mostly because the federal government also doesn’t view cannabis as medicine. It remains a Schedule I drug under federal guidelines. That also means the industry which like all other industries, is entering into a…
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Changes to Cannabis Charges in Maryland, D.C., and Virginia Amid Coronavirus
Last week, a statement released by the Fair and Just Prosecution (FJP), an organization focused on progressive change among prosecutors, recommended that amid the spread of Coronavirus, older and other especially vulnerable inmates be released and overall, law enforcement reduce the number of arrests and “stop admitting people to jail absent a serious risk to…
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Coronavirus Reveals Cannabis Law Contradictions in DMV
The Coronavirus has made it clear that critiques directed towards many of the systems in the United States are no longer up for debate. Suddenly, even some Republicans are suggesting socialism-tinged policies to address the pandemic and the need to get people out of jail, to put a pause on evictions, and hand over thousands…
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House Committee Passes Bills to Approve Veterans’ Access to Medical Cannabis
This year’s first markup of cannabis-related legislation on Capitol Hill involves military veterans and their access to cannabis. The House Veterans’ Affairs Committee on Thursday advanced two bills: the Veterans Equal Access Act and the VA Medical Cannabis Research Act. HR 712, or the VA Medical Cannabis Research Act would require Veterans Affairs to conduct…
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Lance Lucas Pleads Guilty to Medicinal Cannabis License Bribes
On Monday, Lance Lucas, the former president of Maryland’s Black Chamber of Commerce and the head of a nonprofit promoting digital literacy, pleaded guilty to paying disgraced Delegate Cheryl Glenn $42,500 in bribes relating to, among other things, medicinal cannabis licenses. This comes after Glenn, who was the former chair of the Black Legislative Caucus…