Category: Virginia
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This Virginia Couple Is Selling Pot “Stashboxes” To Keep Drivers Safe From Open Container Laws
Consuming cannabis may now be legal in Virginia, but getting caught with pot behind the wheel can still get you in trouble. Under the commonwealth’s new laws, which went into effect on July 1, having an open container of cannabis in your car is considered a Class 4 misdemeanor. That’s Virginia’s lowest-level criminal offense, meaning…
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Virginia Gov. Northam Makes Picks For Three New Boards To Oversee Cannabis Legalization
Gov. Ralph Northam on Monday announced appointments to three newly-created boards charged with overseeing the future of recreational cannabis in Virginia in the wake of legalization earlier this month. On July 1, the commonwealth authorized the possession and home cultivation of pot for adult Virginians following the passage of sweeping new cannabis laws by the…
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The Outlaw Report Podcast: Equity, Sha’Carri, and Crop Eradication
This week, The Outlaw Report’s Scott Cecil talks to Jason Ortiz, the Executive Director of Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) to talk about cannabis equity, how that pertains the to new Connecticut Legalization Law, lessons learned from CT and Virginia, and the fallout of Sha’carri Richardson being banned from competing in the 2020 Tokyo…
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Virginia Legalized Cannabis. For Public Housing Residents, It’s Still Banned.
Recreational cannabis may now be legal in Virginia, but not everyone is reaping the benefits. For Virginians who live in public housing or receive federal rental assistance, using cannabis at home remains prohibited, and could have serious consequences. That’s because cannabis is still a federally banned substance, and organizations that get money from the U.S.…
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In Loudoun County, Critical Race Theory Panics, Kvetching About Cannabis Legalization
Virginia’s Loudoun County made the news last month after an outrageous response from locals at a school board meeting. You likely saw the video or photos of adults losing their minds, screaming in opposition to policies that would protect trans rights and to what they’ve taken to calling “critical race theory” which has been turned…
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Virginia Cannabis Advocates Will Hand Out 10,000 Pot Seeds To Celebrate Legalization And Promote Homegrow
Cannabis legalization goes into effect tomorrow in Virginia and—as the saying goes—good seed makes a good crop. Advocates are getting ready to hand out 10,000 cannabis seeds on Thursday, July 1 to celebrate the first day of legal pot in the commonwealth. Organized by Virginia Marijuana Justice (VAMJ), “The Great Commonwealth Cannabis Seed Share” hopes…
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Virginia Police Report Shows Large Drop In Cannabis Arrests For 2020, But Omits Breakdown By Race
Roughly one year after Virginia decriminalized cannabis, pot arrests have almost been slashed in half in the commonwealth, according to an annual crime report released last week by state police. Cannabis arrests dropped by about 48% in 2020, decreasing to 13,640 incidents from 26,470 the previous year, the report shows. Arrests had peaked at nearly…
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Virginia Watchdog Suggests Adding Misdemeanor Penalties For Cannabis. Advocates Say It’s a Bad Idea.
A Virginia government watchdog is recommending significant changes to the state’s cannabis laws just weeks before possession is set to become legal, and as regulators prepare for the launch of recreational sales in 2024. In a report published last week, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC), a state-funded group that keeps tabs on…
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Virginia Governor’s Race Offers Two Drastically Different Visions For Legalizing Cannabis
Terry McAuliffe cruised to the Democratic nomination for Virginia governor on Tuesday, setting the stage for what could be a close race between the former governor and Republican nominee Glenn Youngkin, a businessman with no prior political experience. Polls show McAuliffe, an establishment candidate who is running for his old job—he was governor of Virginia…
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Amid Massive Hiring Spree, Amazon Scraps Cannabis Screenings For Job Seekers
Amazon says it will no longer test job applicants for cannabis, though it will continue to perform random drug screenings for employees who are on the job. The policy reversal was announced on Tuesday by Dave Clark, Amazon’s CEO of consumer business, in a blog post on the company’s website. “In the past, like many…
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Virginia Cannabis Legalization Gets Cops Kvetching About Drug Dogs
A story from last week by Washington D.C. ‘s Fox5 titled “Legalization of marijuana forcing some police K9s in Virginia to retire,” illustrates the way that no problem is too small to be problematized by law enforcement and other opponents of cannabis reform. According to Fox5, local law enforcement is “taking a hit” because of…
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Welcome To Maryland, Trulieve: Massive Cannabis MSO Enters Md. Market Following Record-Breaking Deal
One of the cannabis industry’s biggest companies is coming to Maryland by way of a $2.1 billion acquisition, the largest merger deal in the cannabis industry to-date. Trulieve Cannabis Corp. is a multistate operator (MSO) that dominates the Florida medical cannabis market. Last week, Trulieve announced they would be purchasing Harvest Health and Recreation, Arizona’s…