Category: Social Equity
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New D.C. existing legal weed biz alliance sends letter to I-71 landlords claiming $600M damages
Over the last week at least five separate landlords for I-71 shops some that choose to transition to D.C.’s licensed market were served a legal letter demanding they compensate existing legal dispensaries for $600 million in financial damages. The letter alleges that in renting to gray market gifting shops, landlords “breached their duty of care…
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New enforcement records reveal D.C. unlicensed cannabis shop locations
D.C.’s Alcohol Beverage and Cannabis Administration (ABCA) is cracking down on unlicensed cannabis shops. Since gaining new enforcement powers in April, they’ve issued warnings to 38 shops, but that’s just a fraction of the estimated hundreds operating illegally. Newly released records reveal the location of every business that has been warned by ABCA. Most shops…
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D.C. man convicted of cannabis trafficking involved in failed DRC coup
Benjamin Zalman-Polun, a Maryland resident with a past cannabis conviction, was among three Americans caught in a failed coup attempt in the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to the Associated Press. The operation was led by Christian Malanga, a Congolese-American with whom Zalman-Polun appears to have connected through a gold mining company. Zalman-Polun’s background reveals…
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Bowser aims to strip $6.5M from D.C. cannabis social equity fund
Mayor Muriel Bowser’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2025 would strip millions of medical cannabis programs funds for social equity entrepreneurs. Bowser’s April proposal strips half a billion in cuts throughout the city’s budget in an attempt to recover a $700 million budget shortfall this year. Cuts included reductions in emergency rental assistance and child…
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Cannabis Rolling Papers: Blazing with Heavy Metals? New Study Raises Health Concerns
A recent study has uncovered a potential health concern for cannabis users: heavy metals lurking in rolling papers. While legally sold cannabis flower undergoes testing for contaminants like pesticides and heavy metals, the same may not be true for rolling papers themselves. This is especially concerning for pre-rolled joints, where the final product might escape…
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Biden announces official DOJ move to reschedule cannabis.
On Thursday, President Joe Biden took to X to announce his support of the Department of Justice’s move to reclassify cannabis. “No one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana,” Biden said on his post. He has previously pardoned thousands for simple cannabis possession charges at the federal level. However, the pardons…
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D.C. goes after gray market cannabis shops, over 30 shops warned
This article was updated on May 14, 2024 to include the total number of enforcements by ABCA. The District of Columbia is unable to set up a recreational medical market due to its lack of statehood, but it’s still trying its best to provide medical cannabis to anyone who self-registers as a patient. But the…
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New state report breaks down New York’s failed legal cannabis launch
New York’s much-anticipated adult-use cannabis market is facing hurdles, according to a recent report by a task force commissioned by Governor Kathy Hochul. The report sheds light on the challenges plaguing the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM), the agency tasked with regulating the industry. The report identified a key issue: OCM’s struggle to evolve from…
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End of social equity cannabis retail application period in D.C. brings supply questions
The second to final application round for The District of Columbia’s medical cannabis expansion ended Tuesday. Over the last year, The Alcohol Beverage and Cannabis Administration held separate periods for applicants starting with cultivators and manufacturers almost a year ago. The three periods brought in hundreds of applicants that were awarded conditional licenses to spend…
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D.C. agency gets more power to go after unlicensed cannabis shops
The District of Columbia’s medical cannabis program has been going through growing pains as it expands, but the regulatory agency, The Alcohol Beverage and Cannabis Administration, has its most recent solution: a new set of emergency rules and D.C. council Act that give ABCA power to shut down the D.C. gifting market. Since D.C. started…
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Time’s up for I-71 weed gift shops as first warning letters hit Georgia Ave. and Georgetown unlicensed dispensaries
Time has run out for I-71 gift shops that use a liberally interpreted amendment in the District’s constitution to gift weed to adults over 21 without medical cannabis cards. As of last Friday The Alcohol Beverage and Cannabis Administration (ABCA) delivered a total of 13 warnings to unlicensed cannabis businesses in the city, according to…
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Maryland fines cannabis dispensary, Cannabus, for failing to report ownership changes
The Maryland Cannabis Administration (MCA) has fined Cannabus, LLC for failing to report ownership changes in its annual reports. The company also violated state regulations by transferring a majority ownership interest in its license before it was legally allowed to do so. According to the Consent Order, Cannabus, LLC received a medical cannabis dispensary license…