Category: Politics
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Friday Is Weed’s Big Day At The D.C. Council. Here’s What To Expect.
Cannabis is about to have its big day in the D.C. spotlight. On Friday, the D.C. Council will hold its first-ever hearing on the Comprehensive Cannabis Legalization and Regulation Act, a bill to legalize recreational weed sales. Introduced last March by D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, the 72-page bill has been long in the making.…
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Republicans Unveil Competing Cannabis Reform Bill With Lower Taxes, Less Focus On Social Equity
House Republicans led by Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) on Monday unveiled a cannabis bill that is poised to compete with similar legislation proposed by Democrats earlier this year. Dubbed the States Reform Act, the bill is being framed by Republicans as a compromise or middle-ground between the simple descheduling of cannabis and wide-ranging reforms sought…
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Biden Admin Insists Public Housing Residents Can’t Use Cannabis, Even For Medical Purposes
Cannabis users still aren’t welcome in public housing, according to the Biden administration. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) says it will keep denying federally-assisted public housing to those who use weed, whether or not they reside in a state that has legalized the plant. Earlier this year, Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton,…
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Podcast: Mendelson’s About-Face On A Gray Market Crackdown
For the inaugural episode of our podcast’s third season, host Scott Cecil is joined by The Outlaw Report’s editor-in-chief to unpack how a last-minute legislative proposal to crack down on D.C.’s unpermitted cannabis shops quickly crashed and burned. It started last month when D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson quietly announced an emergency bill that would have…
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After I-81, How Legal Are Shrooms Now In D.C.? A Local Attorney Explains.
District voters took a big leap forward on the drug-liberalization front last year with the overwhelming passage of Initiative 81. The ballot initiative directed D.C. Police to cut back on the enforcement of laws that criminalize the planting, growing, distributing and buying of plant-based psychedelics, and for prosecutors to cease charging residents for such activities.…
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D.C. Council Lifts Restrictions on Medical Cannabis Industry, Backs Off Gray Market Crackdown
The D.C. Council on Tuesday unanimously approved an emergency bill that aims to bolster the District’s medical cannabis program by easing restrictions on its patients. The measure, proposed last week by Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, extends the validity of patient registrations, creates two-year medical cannabis cards, doubles the amount of cannabis patients can legally carry…
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Facing Public Backlash, Mendelson Backtracks On Gray Market Crackdown
After an immediate public backlash from advocates and business owners, D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson on Monday scrapped part of an emergency bill that would have tightened the screws on unpermitted weed shops and delivery services. The updated version of the bill, which the council will consider on Tuesday, no longer penalizes gray market cannabis…
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D.C. Council Chairman Proposes Emergency Bill To Crack Down On Unlicensed Cannabis Shops
The D.C. Council will consider an emergency measure next week that would give local authorities more power to crack down on the dozens of businesses that sell cannabis without a medical permit in the District — also known as the gray market. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson on Thursday requested to add the emergency bill to…
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New Poll Shows Marylanders Still Strongly Support Cannabis Legalization
Three-fifths of Marylanders support legalizing recreational cannabis use while one-third are opposed, according to the latest polling out of Goucher College. The results, shared on Tuesday, represent a slight dip from seven months ago, when 67% of surveyed adults said they supported allowing recreational use, in line with policies across 18 states and the District…
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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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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…