Category: Washington, D.C.
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DMV Parents Are Opening Up About Their Cannabis Use, But Taboos Remain
With more American adults using cannabis than ever before, the notion that parents who smoke pot aren’t inept caretakers is quickly gaining traction. In popular culture, the stoner parent is no longer relegated to the margins, with celebrity moms from Kristen Bell to Amy Schumer readily admitting they toke up. Meanwhile, social media groups like…
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D.C. Council Unanimously Approves ‘Self-Certification’ For Cannabis Patients
The D.C. Council on Tuesday unanimously approved an emergency bill allowing adults to register for the District’s medical cannabis program simply by “self-certifying” they use pot for medical purposes. The measure, introduced by Councilmembers Mary Cheh (Ward 3) and Kenyan McDuffie (Ward 5), does away with the need for a doctor’s note to purchase weed…
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D.C. Council Approves Bill To Protect Workers From Weed Discrimination
The D.C. Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a bill that bars most employers from punishing workers who use cannabis or test positive on a weed screening. The legislation, introduced last year by Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White, makes it an “unlawful discriminatory practice” for employers to require a cannabis test as a condition of employment.…
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Erin Palmer Wants To Bring D.C.’s Weed Gifting Shops ‘In The Daylight’
Erin Palmer is well aware she’s got a huge task ahead of her. The 40-year-old ethics lawyer and mother-of-three is hoping to unseat D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, a three-term incumbent who she readily admits is “an institution” of District politics. But Palmer isn’t interested in engaging in the vitriolic discourse that often animates important…
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Could Delaware Leapfrog the DMV on Cannabis Legalization?
Among local drug policy watchers, all eyes were on Virginia and Maryland this spring as lawmakers hotly debated the future of legalization in their states. But in both states, lawmakers eventually punted on setting up a regulated adult-use market, deferring any major decisions — aside from the very question of legalization — until 2023. Meanwhile,…
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Preliminary D.C. Budget Creates Cannabis Social Equity Fund To Boost Minority Entrepreneurs
D.C.’s preliminary budget for the upcoming fiscal year includes a provision that would redirect tax dollars from medical cannabis sales towards a new “social equity fund” to help minority entrepreneurs get weed businesses off the ground. The “Medical Cannabis Social Equity Fund” would be jointly administered by D.C.’s Department of Small and Local Business Development…
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The Sesh: Martin Mitchell On The Rise Of Weed To The Political Mainstream
In American political life, cannabis has recently gone from a somewhat taboo topic to a key issue at the center of many politicians’ platforms. In Congress, weed legalization is now regularly debated on both sides of the aisle, with Republicans and Democrats vying to become the party that finally reforms federal cannabis laws. But the…
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Super Potent Opioid ‘Iso’ Hits D.C. Amid Surging Overdose Deaths
Federal authorities are warning a new drug as potent as fentanyl — a synthetic opioid partly responsible for a nationwide surge in fatal overdoses — is now circulating in the D.C. region. Per a Wednesday report by FOX 5, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) says it discovered isotonitazene — known as “Iso” or “Toni”…
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Activists Urging Psilocybin Access For Terminally Ill Patients Arrested At DEA Headquarters
Around two-dozen activists rallied on Monday outside the headquarters of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in Arlington, Va. to protest the agency’s refusal to grant people with terminal illnesses access to experimental drugs like psilocybin and MDMA. For several hours, the demonstrators blocked entrances to the federal building, shouting slogans like “DEA, get out…
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D.C. Mayoral Debate Glosses Over Cannabis, Zeroes In On Opioid Epidemic
The top three candidates for D.C. mayor duked it out on Wednesday evening during a debate on WAMU’s The Politics Hour moderated by local radio legend Kojo Nnamdi and news veteran Tom Sherwood. Over the course of 90 minutes, incumbent Mayor Muriel Bowser, At-Large Councilmember Robert White and Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White argued their…
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How A Group Of D.C. Weed Activists Ended Up On A Relief Mission To Ukraine
Adam Eidinger’s activism has taken on many forms over the years. At home in D.C., he’s best known as the Phrygian-cap wearing, 51-foot-joint carrying local who in 2014 successfully spearheaded I-71, a historic ballot initiative that legalized the use of recreational weed in the District. But Eidinger has never stopped at just pot proselytism. He’s…
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D.C. Council Advances Bill Banning Cannabis Testing For Most Jobs
The D.C. Council on Tuesday unanimously voted to advance a bill barring most employers from testing job applicants for cannabis, except when hiring for positions that require an extra degree of safety. The measure, introduced last year by Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White, was approved by all 13 members of the council’s Committee of the…