Category: Washington, D.C.
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D.C. Council Passes Sweeping Bill To Reform Medical Cannabis Program
The D.C. Council on Tuesday gave its unanimous and final approval to a bill that makes sweeping changes to the District’s medical cannabis program, capping a long and obstacle-ridden journey for the legislation, which was introduced nearly two years ago. It now heads to Mayor Muriel Bowser’s desk for a signature, and then to Congress…
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Bill Would Offer D.C.’s Weed ‘Gifters’ Path To Legality With Transitional Licenses
D.C.’s unlicensed cannabis storefronts — familiarly known as gifting or “I-71” shops — have dodged multiple attempts over the last year by local leaders to crack down on their business. Earlier this year, they repeatedly locked horns with D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, who tried passing emergency legislation to shut them down and blasted them…
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Q&A: Terrence White to Lead I-71 Committee, a Business Coalition in D.C.’s Cannabis Gray Market
The I-71 Committee has had a busy year of advocacy. Amid a push over the last year by D.C. government to more closely regulate and inspect recreational cannabis “gifting” businesses and bolster the city’s medical cannabis market, it’s been a time for gray market business operators to “come out of the shadows,” says Terrence White,…
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A New Task Force Will Increase Scrutiny of D.C.’s I-71 Market Starting Next Week
UPDATE September 15, 3 p.m.: The Joint Cannabis Task Force has reportedly delayed inspections for an indefinite period of time. Unlicensed cannabis businesses operating in the District of Columbia’s gray market can expect more inspections and heightened regulatory scrutiny after the end of Labor Day weekend. Next Tuesday marks the launch of inspections by the…
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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…