Catch the Smoke: Oct. 30, 2023
Second D.C. licensing period draws to a close
ABCA (Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration) conditionally approved 12 new businesses for medical cannabis cultivator or manufacturer licenses last week. TODAY by 4 P.M. is the last day to submit an application for this period.
This week’s ABCA meeting is scheduled for Wednesday at 10:30 A.M., stream here.
The Washingtonian featured an edible business, Pink Fox, who said they received a license. However, they received a conditional license which means that until they receive a placard their gifting business will remain unlicensed.
Wealth Daily featured D.C. as a sleeper investment opportunity for cannabis despite the terrible overall state.
The Wash provided a good rundown of how D.C. got here and the impending problems in implementing this medical expansion.
Georgetown’s ANC ( their neighborhood association) is already trying to damp down official cannabis businesses opening in their bougie historic area of D.C., proposing a weed business cap to their council member and BID in a letter last week. No decision has been reached.
Maryland county wants to keep cannabis in the shadows
Prince George’s county, across the border from D.C., is also not too fond of the expanding adult-use market in its state. There is a proposal to confine marijuana shops to industrial zones in the county. But in an area hit hard by cannabis prohibition and the war on drugs, Black business owners say the restrictions would create another barrier to reaching equity in the industry.
Free Social Equity Applicant Technical Assistance Informational Event Webinar today from 1-3 P.M. Register here.
Maryland hemp gets another win with ruling that the state cannot require hemp producers to get a state license.
Maryland Legal Aid (MLA) is partnering with Johns Hopkins University and Medicine, Alliance of Black Women Attorneys, Out For Justice, and Maryland Volunteer Legal Services to host a FREE Expungement Clinic on Sunday, November 5, 2023.
The social equity portal closes next week, and the application for the first round of Maryland new cannabis businesses opens Nov. 13.
Virginia hemp fines total $1.6M
Fines against Virginia businesses violating the state’s new hep restrictions have gone over $1.6 million in the last three months. However, that state offers significant reductions if businesses come into compliance. Actual reduced fines total a little over $200,000 of which almost $71,000 have been paid.
Note: A West Virginia Trulieve employee filed a lawsuit alleging the MSO fired him reporting illegal activities in their facilities.
East Coast Round Up
Gofundme launches for a beloved New York budtender held on Rikers for an out-of-state cannabis charge.
New York officials debunked misinformation about weed laced with fentanyl.
New Jersey marijuana regulators asked for public feedback on proposed rules that would increase the variety of edible cannabis products available at licensed dispensaries, including jams, chocolates, baked goods and drinks.
From the Swamp
The new house speaker, Mike Johnson, has opposed cannabis reform, leaving this session’s cannabis reform and banking on shaky ground.
The National Institutes of Health is seeking a partner to create a centralized cannabis research center to help scientists overcome federal prohibition barriers.
Cannabis companies sued the attorney general in an attempt to block the federal government from enforcing federal prohibition on state-level legal business.
31 bipartisan congressional members sent a letter to the DEA pushing for descheduling of cannabis and the complete removal of from the Controlled Substance Act.
Shrooms
A federal appeals court has revived a petition to reschedule magic mushrooms from Schedule I to Schedule II, forcing the DEA to either clarify its reasons for denying the petition or reevaluate it on an open record. The petition was filed by a physician who wants to legally treat terminally ill cancer patients with magic mushrooms.
The best psychedelic cartoon (debatably), Midnight Gospel, was featured on NPR. Did you know it was created to honor the creator’s mother?
Don't miss
Social Equity Applicant Technical Assistance Informational Event
Leaders from the Office of Social Equity and the Maryland Cannabis Administration host presentations covering social equity verification, license application timelines and processes in Bowie, Maryland. (Nov. 6 – 25; free)
Please submit your upcoming cannabis event here.