Tag: Coronavirus
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Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton Pushes For Commercial Cannabis in Washington D.C.
On Friday, April 3, Democratic Congresswoman for Washington, D.C. Eleanor Holmes Norton demanded Congress remove the rider that prevents D.C. from using local funds to establish a commercial recreational cannabis industry in the district. “At this moment of unparalleled need, D.C. should be able to collect tax revenue from all available sources, like every other…
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The Aboveground and Underground Cannabis Economy in Maryland Amid COVID-19
COVID-19 has provided Maryland’s medicinal cannabis dispensaries with increased sales and left them with a problem to solve: How to make those sales amid social distancing and state-ordered “stay at home” policies. Morgan Eichensehr of the Baltimore Business Journal, spoke to Christopher Jensen of Mana Supply in Edgewater, MD who said his store’s sales have…
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Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission Meeting Deals With COVID-19, Ignores Cheryl Glenn Scandal Again
This month’s Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission (MMCC) meeting, held on March 25 over teleconference due to COVID-19, was the second meeting this year that did not address what most of the Maryland cannabis industry is discussing: The ongoing Cheryl Glenn scandal. Since last month’s February 20 meeting, businessman Lance Lucas pleaded guilty to bribing former…
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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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Maryland Dispensaries An ‘Essential Business’; Cannabis Commission Provides Policy Changes Amid Coronavirus
On Monday, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan ordered all “nonessential” businesses closed in response to the Coronavirus. Consulting federal guidelines, Hogan provided a list of businesses determined “essential” that can remain open. The Interpretive Guidance document for the state of Maryland released by Hogan—which you can read here—differs in at least one way from the federal…
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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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Before Coronavirus Adjournment, Crucial Cannabis Legislation Passes House
In response to the coronavirus, it was announced on Sunday, March 15 that the legislative session would end early—wrapping up on March 18 rather than April 6. As a result, a number of bills will be put on pause, and Senate President Bill Ferguson along with House of Delegates Speaker Adrienne A. Jones said they…
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Petitioning for Decriminalizing Psychedelics Gets Delayed Due to Coronavirus
Last Thursday, the D.C. Board of Elections voted 2-0 to allow the Decriminalize Nature D.C. organization to postpone petitioning for Initiative 81, otherwise known as the Entheogenic Plant and Fungus Policy Act of 2020. According to Marijuana Moment, the tentative new date for circulation approval is April 1. The board has not authorized a deadline…
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Coronavirus Threatens D.C.’s Success for Decriminalizing Psychedelics
The Decriminalize Nature D.C. organization has asked the D.C. Council and Mayor Muriel Bowser to develop and sponsor emergency legislation to authorize the Board of Elections to provide for online collection of signatures, citing the coronavirus. The organization will need to collect more than 35,000 signatures from D.C. voters to get their initiative that hopes…