Category: Social Equity
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D.C.’s Proposed Budget Offers Financial Boost To Cannabis Entrepreneurs Harmed By War On Drugs
D.C.’s proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year includes funding to help veterans and people formerly incarcerated on drug charges launch their own medical cannabis businesses in the District. As outlined in Mayor Muriel Bowser’s proposal, D.C. plans to set aside $300,000 for the Department of Small and Local Business Development to “provide financial and…
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D.C. Temporarily Reverses Ban On Former Felons In Cannabis Industry
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser signed emergency legislation last week that allows people with non-violent felony records to own—or work at—a licensed medical cannabis dispensary, cultivation center, or testing lab. The new law, enacted on May 3, nixes a previous statute that prohibited anyone with a felony record from participating in D.C.’s medical cannabis industry. However,…
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Virginians Jailed for Weed Will Stay Locked Up Even After Legalization
While there is much to celebrate in the July 1 legalization of adult cannabis use in Virginia, many argue the new law’s failure to address resentencing is a significant flaw: It does not address those currently incarcerated for cannabis charges. The long, complex bill was approved by the legislature late in the 2021 session, amended…
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Why Some Maryland Cannabis Users Are Boycotting Culta
The two cannabis legalization bills that were submitted to the Maryland General Assembly will not receive a vote this session, a consequence of a pandemic-packed agenda and lawmakers’ inability to resolve small but crucial differences between the two bills. In an interview with The Outlaw Report, Del. Jazz Lewis, sponsor of the House legalization bill…
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Advocate Weighs in on D.C.’s Dueling Legalization Bills
Over the past few weeks, Mayor Muriel Bowser and D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson have both introduced dueling bills allowing for a commercial regulated cannabis market in the District. The bills suggest the commercial cannabis industry that has eluded the District since 2014—when Initiative 71 passed but the Harris Rider prevented regulated adult use—could happen…
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Advocates Push For Cannabis Legalization in Annapolis With a 51-Foot Joint
A 51-foot long inflatable joint with the words “Maryland Pass The Joint!” and the logo of Maryland Marijuana Justice (MDMJ) stamped on the side of it appeared near Annapolis’ State House earlier today, Mar. 18, as part of a protest pushing the cannabis reform-averse legislators in Maryland towards passing a legalization bill. “Some legislators won’t…
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A Tale of Two Bills: Md. Lawmakers Continue to Discuss Specifics of Cannabis Legalization
Maryland legislators continue to deliberate on the merits of two largely similar cannabis legalization bills—one in the House, one in the Senate—which differentiate in ways that will determine how accessible the adult-use cannabis industry is to those most harshly impacted by racist prohibition of cannabis. SB 708, sponsored by Sen. Brian J. Feldman and other…
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How Should Virginia Spend Its Cannabis Profits?
Virginia’s plan for adult recreational cannabis use was approved in February, with a major bill review scheduled for 2022 and legalization set for 2024. When it comes to the use of cannabis taxes, the pro-legalization community is split. Governor Ralph Northam, the mayor of Richmond Levar Stoney, and some other Democrats support using the largest…
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Virginia Lawmakers Vote to Legalize Cannabis in 2024 in Last Minute Compromise
On Feb. 27, in the waning hours of a busy session, the Virginia General Assembly approved legislation to legalize adult recreational cannabis use. After working to resolve differences between two complex bills from Democrats, the legislature accepted a compromise that will allow recreational pot possession when the commercial market launches in 2024. Some advocates criticize…
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D.C. Council Chairman Mendelson Releases Comprehensive Cannabis Legalization and Regulation Act of 2021
There are now dueling bills to establish a regulated cannabis market in Washington D.C. On Friday, Feb. 26, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser released The Safe Cannabis Sales Act of 2021 and on Monday, Mar. 1, DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson and councilmembers Charles Allen, Mary Cheh, Christina Henderson, Kenyan McDuffie, Brianne Nadeau, and Brooke Pinto…
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A First Look At Washington D.C.’s Safe Cannabis Sales Act of 2021
On Friday Feb. 26, Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser sent the Safe Cannabis Sales Act of 2021 to D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson and the rest of the council. The Safe Cannabis Sales Act of 2021 would allow commercial, regulated cannabis sales in D.C.—something that has eluded D.C. since 2014 when voters legalized cannabis. Back…
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Advocates Call for Racial Equity Amendments to Virginia Cannabis Bills
Virginia’s House and Senate cannabis legalization bills have succeeded in their chambers and advanced to a special session that began Feb. 10. On Feb. 9, 25 advocacy groups led by the Virginia ACLU and Marijuana Justice wrote to Governor Ralph Northam and the legislature asking them to better center racial justice in their legislation. Other…