Tag: legalization
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Youngkin vetoes cannabis bill citing public safety and health despite lack of research to back up claims
Gov. Youngkin vetoed a democratically passed cannabis adult-use market bill maintaining his blockage to set up the Virginia legal market. Democrats legalized adult-use cannabis in 2021, but a shift to a republican controlled government stopped any implementation. Democrats sent a bill to Gov. Youngkin’s desk a few weeks ago that would launch the market. He…
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D.C’s first transitioning I-71 cannabis gifting stores cleared to open as legal medical dispensaries
The first medical dispensaries transitioning from unlicensed operators to the legal market were given licenses to open on Mar. 27, 2024. The three stores (Green Theory, Wishing Wellness, Don Fuego) are the first to complete the transition process from I-71 gifting stores to legal medical dispensaries. One current medical license also received a license to…
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Multi-state cannabis operator fined $55,000 in Maryland for skipping ownership approval
Maryland cannabis company Holistic Industries Inc. was fined $55,000 for failing to get approval before transferring ownership interests in its subsidiaries. The Maryland Cannabis Administration (MCA) announced the consent order in February. They are a multistate operator. According to the companies own website, they have 15 legal stores in five different states including three in…
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D.C. Opens Social Equity Applicant Window for Medical Cannabis Retail Licenses
The second retail application period for medical cannabis licenses opened today in Washington, D.C. This social equity retail licensing period is part of D.C.’s cannabis medical expansion. The period for cultivators and manufacturers to apply has passed, and unlicensed I-71 operators could apply to transition to the legal market until Jan. 29, 2024. The period…
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Virginia Senate and House Democrats agree on adult-use market bill, set to standoff with Gov.
Despite being the first southern state to legalize adult-use cannabis, Virginia’s Republican led government dragged its feet the last three years to prevent a market launch. But Democrats are trying yet again to override Gov. Glen Youngkin who has promised to veto any market launch since his election. Democrats struck a deal last Friday, according…
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Beyond/Hello Set To Open Four New Medical Weed Dispensaries In Northern Virginia
Beyond/Hello, one of only four companies licensed to sell cannabis in Virginia, says it’s gearing up to open four new dispensaries in the commonwealth over the next year. All four locations will be in Northern Virginia. One of them, located along Richmond Highway in Alexandria, could start serving patients “within two to four weeks,” Beyond/Hello’s…
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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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Maryland Lawmakers Discuss Nuts And Bolts Of Weed Regulation Ahead Of Referendum On Legalization
Two months after the conclusion of a legislative session that put cannabis legalization on the November ballot, a panel of Maryland lawmakers reconvened on Tuesday to discuss how to best regulate recreational pot, from setting tax rates to licensing rules and more. Only seven of the 11 lawmakers on the Maryland House Cannabis Referendum and…
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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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Delaware Governor Vetoes Weed Legalization Bill In Rebuke Of His Own Party
In a controversial move, Delaware Gov. John Carney (D) on Tuesday vetoed a historic bill to legalize cannabis possession that comfortably cleared the state legislature earlier this month. The measure, which passed the General Assembly after years of failed attempts at legalization, eliminates penalties for adults 21 and older who possess up to one ounce…