Category: Virginia
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Richmond Will No Longer Drug Test City Employees For Cannabis
Last week, Richmond’s City Council approved a resolution that would stop the city from drug testing employees for cannabis. Currently, Richmond drug tests for cannabis for pre-employment and randomly drug tests current city employees. But now, with Virginia getting ready to institute its medicinal cannabis program—as well as decriminalization of up to an ounce and…
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The Outlaw Report Podcast Episode 02: Cannabis in the DMV During COVID-19
In the second episode of The Outlaw Report podcast, Prohibited podcast founder Scott Cecil talks to reporter Brandon Soderberg about how Maryland, Washington DC, and Virgina are dealing with cannabis during COVID-19. They discuss responses to cannabis laws by police during the pandemic and how the medicinal cannabis industry in Maryland and DC are dealing…
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More Dispensaries in Virginia; Richmond Council Proposes Excluding Cannabis From Drug Testing
Virginia’s dedication to cannabis reform in 2020 is one of the most fascinating and encouraging cannabis stories in the region. The approval of decriminalization of up to an ounce and the establishment of a proper medicinal cannabis program nearly catches Virginia up to Maryland which began its own similar changes six years earlier. There are…
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Cannabis Reform Has Not Stopped Virginia Cops From Touting Pot Busts
This legislative session, Virginia has rapidly moved along with cannabis reform, decriminalizing cannabis possession up to an ounce, establishing the framework for medicinal cannabis, and regulating CBD food products. The Outlaw Report has noted how in a matter of a few months, it seems as though Virginia is catching up with many of nearby Maryland’s…
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Virginia Cannabis Reform Continues
Virginia approved cannabis decriminalization earlier this month and continues expanding cannabis and cannabis-related reform. Senate Bill 918/House Bill 1430, recently approved by Governor Ralph Northam, regulates products containing CBD as food: “The bill authorizes the Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services to adopt regulations establishing contaminant tolerances, labeling requirements, and batch testing requirements,” SB 918’s…
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ACLU Report Reveals Racial Disparities For Cannabis Arrests Remain Amid Reform
For this year’s 4/20 celebration, the American Civil Liberties Union released a sobering report. Titled “A Tale of Two Countries: Racially Targeted Arrests in the Era of Marijuana Reform,” the in-depth report illustrates how black people are 3.6 times more likely than white people to be arrested for cannabis possession. This is similar, the ACLU…
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Federal Court: ‘Common Sense’ That Cops Can Search Residence Due To Cannabis Smell
While a bill to decriminalize cannabis in the state of Virginia moved through the House and Senate earlier this year (it was ultimately approved by Governor Ralph Northam earlier this month), the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Virginia was making its decision regarding a 2016 arrest that began with a…
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Virginia Decriminalizes Cannabis, Plans To Establish Legalization Workgroup
Over the weekend, Governor Ralph Northam approved House Bill 972/Senate Bill 02, decriminalizing cannabis in Virginia. Decriminalization, which begins on July 1, 2020 means that cannabis possession of up to one ounce can only result in a maximum $25 citation and also means Virginians cannot be arrested or criminally charged for it. Additionally, amendments to…
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Changes to Cannabis Charges in Maryland, D.C., and Virginia Amid Coronavirus
Last week, a statement released by the Fair and Just Prosecution (FJP), an organization focused on progressive change among prosecutors, recommended that amid the spread of Coronavirus, older and other especially vulnerable inmates be released and overall, law enforcement reduce the number of arrests and “stop admitting people to jail absent a serious risk to…
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Coronavirus Reveals Cannabis Law Contradictions in DMV
The Coronavirus has made it clear that critiques directed towards many of the systems in the United States are no longer up for debate. Suddenly, even some Republicans are suggesting socialism-tinged policies to address the pandemic and the need to get people out of jail, to put a pause on evictions, and hand over thousands…
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New Documentary Features Virginia Family’s Need for Medicinal Cannabis
An upcoming documentary, titled, “Buying Time,” focuses on more than access to affordable medicine, but about a family’s struggle to survive—and do so pain-free. Madison Davis is a 9-year-old girl from Virginia—where cannabis was just recently decriminalized—who relies on medicinal cannabis to treat symptoms of severe pain and seizures brought on by brain cancer. To…
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Virginia Lawmakers Approve Smokable Hemp Bill, Need Gov. Signature
A proposal to allow smokable hemp sales to those aged 21 and over is making its way to the desk of Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam. Sponsored by Del. Daniel Marshall, HB 962 cleared the House of Delegates earlier this month and was approved by the Senate in a 37-3 vote this past week. “Over the…