Category: Outlaw Report
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Scenes From a Baltimore Cannabis Charge Expungement Clinic
Traffic stop, traffic stop, traffic stop—most of the people The Outlaw Report spoke to at an expungement clinic in West Baltimore last week explained how their weed charge began when they were pulled over by police and often, for something other than weed—broken tail light, speeding, no seatbelt, even “fit a description.” “K” is one…
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Cannabis Decriminalization in Virginia Likely Due to Several Bills
The future of Virginia cannabis reform will depend on the success of several bills currently being considered by the General Assembly. Currently, Democrats control both chambers of the General Assembly as well as the governor’s office, so the possibility of decriminalization looks hopeful. In a press release, Governor Ralph Northam said, “All Virginians deserve access…
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David Grosso Wants D.C. to ‘Go Deeper’ with Cannabis Reform
While Washington D.C. Councilmember David Grosso is not planning on running for reelection, he still has high hopes for the future of the District. Expungement of cannabis-related records and a tax-and-regulate cannabis system are just a few of his plans, though he’s not alone. Mayor Muriel Bowser introduced the Safe Cannabis Sales Act in 2019,…
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Pro-Cannabis Legislation in D.C. Worth Keeping an Eye On
In December 2019, all hopes for the possibility of Washington, D.C. passing any bill legalizing or regulating marijuana sales went up in smoke—again. Even so, there are several bills that are currently under review by the D.C. Council that are worth keeping an eye on. The $1.3 trillion federal spending bill that Congress passed late…
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NORML Gives Maryland Governor a ‘C’ and Virginia Governor a ‘B+’
The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) released its 2020 Gubernatorial Scorecard last week. The cannabis advocacy nonprofit reviews the governor of each state each year based on their voting records and public comments on cannabis and gives them a letter grade. This year, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan received a ‘C’ and…
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Dispensary Data Breach Introduces Unique Problems for Cannabis Patients
Amedicanna in Halethorpe, Maryland was one of three dispensaries in the United States affected by a data breach, according to a report by internet privacy researchers and “ethical hackers” vpnMentor. The data breach consisted of information stored by THSuite, “a point-of-sale system in the cannabis industry,” and was discovered on December 24 when vpnMentor found…
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Maryland Cannabis News in 2019 Revolved Around Racial Equity
This article is part of a three-part series that summarizes notable moments in cannabis from 2019 for Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia. “This is really, really complicated,” State Senator and co-chair of The Maryland General Assembly’s Marijuana Legalization Workgroup Bill Ferguson said back in June. He was talking about unpacking the contingencies, exceptions, and all…
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How D.C.’s Cannabis Industry Changed in 2019
This article is part of a three-part series that summarizes notable moments in cannabis from 2019 for Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia. Two New Dispensaries 2019 started off with the opening of the first medical dispensary located east of the Anacostia River. In January 2019, Linda Greene is leading the new dispensary, called Anacostia Organics,…
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How Virginia’s Cannabis Industry Changed in 2019
This article is part of a three-part series that summarizes notable moments in cannabis from 2019 for Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia. Support For Legalization Becoming More Common in the Commonwealth A survey published in September 2019 shows that an increasing number of those who live in the state of Virginia are supportive of cannabis…
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Virginia Senators Warner and Kaine Demand Urgent Approval of Hemp Plan
Virginia is poised to be a top producer in the country for industrial hemp, but not all legislators and advocates are in agreement with the regulations needed to ensure its success. In a letter sent on January 23, 2020, Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to expedite its…
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Maryland Senate Advances Several Weed Bills
“I don’t want another situation like last year where we end up in a stalemate and run out of time. The thought is, this has to happen now, and we have to start having these compromise meeting now to figure out where Dems are going to be and what we want,”…
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Del. Gabriel Acevero Gets A Hearing On His Forward-Looking Weed Legalization Bill, With Little Fanfare
Maryland Del. Gabriel Acevero made his case on Tuesday for a sweeping cannabis legalization bill that would automatically expunge records for many nonviolent drug offenses, as well as allow for the home cultivation of up to 24 mature cannabis plants. But only one other person showed up to testify in favor of it – a…