Category: Outlaw Report
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Senate Budget Bill Ditches D.C. Cannabis Rider, Opening Door For Recreational Sales
The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee unveiled a spending bill on Monday that omits a controversial provision banning D.C. from legalizing recreational cannabis sales. Though D.C. residents voted to legalize weed back in 2014, the provision — informally known as the Harris rider — has for years blocked District officials from using local funds to launch…
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The Outlaw Editorial Board Endorses McAuliffe for Virginia Governor
Cannabis laws are experiencing a seismic shift in the Washington region, and the stakes have never been higher. While Maryland lawmakers mull a 2022 ballot referendum on legalizing adult-use, the D.C. Council is gearing up for a legislative hearing that — barring interference from Congress — could finally bring a recreational market to the District.…
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Maryland: Health Experts Talk Cannabis Potency And Youth Use At Legalization Workgroup Session
Experts advised a panel of Maryland lawmakers on Wednesday to prioritize public health education on cannabis and to prevent large companies from shaping regulations if and when the state opts to legalize the plant. “I think we’re in this public health experiment which is still in its very early stages, especially related to high-potency products,…
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Virginia: Lack Of Cannabis Messaging In Governor’s Race A ‘Missed Opportunity’ For McAuliffe, Experts Say
As the race for Virginia governor enters its final stretch, Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Glenn Youngkin appear to be locked in a virtual dead heat, with a recent CBS poll putting the candidates just 3 points apart. The contest — widely seen as a bellwether for the 2022 midterms and a referendum on President…
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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: Regulators Advance Discount Cannabis Plan For Vets And Medicaid Recipients
Maryland cannabis regulators have advanced a framework for providing discounted cannabis to eligible registered patients, including veterans and state Medicaid recipients. The Policy Committee of the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission unanimously approved a proposed framework for the Compassionate Use Fund on Thursday. The fund, established through a broader industry-expansion bill in 2018, allows registered patients…
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Maryland: Advocates Want Cannabis To Instantly Become Legal If Voters Approve A 2022 Referendum
Maryland advocates say a ‘yes’ result in a 2022 state referendum on cannabis legalization should make weed legal on the spot. At a Tuesday meeting of Maryland’s chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), members discussed policy recommendations for the General Assembly’s next legislative session. At the center of the…
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Sign-ups For Virginia’s Medical Weed Program Have Doubled In Six Months
While Virginia lawmakers work out a timeline for the launch of recreational cannabis sales, the state’s medical weed program continues to grow at a steady clip. Over the last six months, the number of people signed up for a medical cannabis card in the commonwealth has more than doubled — from 15,076 registered patients in…
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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 Photos: Pot Advocates Stage Capitol Hill Protest, Urge Senate To Lift D.C. Sales Ban
A group of roughly 50 cannabis advocates from across the D.C. region demonstrated on Tuesday afternoon outside the Russell Senate Building on Capitol Hill, calling on U.S. Senators to lift a ban on recreational weed sales in the District and to legalize the drug at the federal level. The protestors paraded a 51-foot inflatable joint…
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A Political Shake-Up Could Impact the Future of Pot Legalization in Virginia
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. Virginia took a big leap toward cannabis reform last spring by passing legislation that authorized pot possession and home…
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D.C. Council Announces Hearing On Bill To Legalize Recreational Cannabis Sales Despite Congressional Ban
The D.C. Council will move forward with legislation to legalize recreational cannabis sales despite a lingering Congressional ban on retail weed in the nation’s capital. In a notice published on Friday, D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson and Councilmembers Kenyan McDuffie and Charles Allen announced that a public hearing on the Comprehensive Cannabis Legalization and Regulation…