Tag: Main Blog
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Baltimore’s Next Mayor and City Council President Are Pro-Cannabis
The results of Baltimore’s June 2 primary election—mostly done via mail and then seriously mishandled by the Baltimore City Board of Elections—are finally in as of last week and they suggest some potential change in the city when it comes to cannabis (in Baltimore, winners of the Democratic primary are presumed General Election winners). Both…
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DEA Has Trump’s Permission To Surveil Protesters: What Does That Mean When Cannabis Remains Federally Illegal?
As first revealed by Buzzfeed, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has been given additional policing powers under the Trump administration to surveil protesters. Generally, the DEA can only enforce drug-related crimes but this temporary adjustment means that the DEA’s resources and surveillance network can be used towards those marching in protest of the police killing…
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Cannabis and Washington D.C.’s Primary Election
Tuesday June 2 is Washington DC’s primary election. With ongoing concerns about COVID-19’s spread and now, what appears to be a growing uprising against police violence nearly at the door of the White House—President Trump is reportedly hiding in a bunker underground—it will surely be an especially complicated election. There are six council seats on…
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Proposed D.C. Budget Could Help Commercial Cannabis Happen Sooner
Washington, D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser released the 2021 budget plan last week and amid the hundreds of pages of adjustments, new investments, and proposed cuts about the proposed $16.7 billion budget is some language that as Marijuana Moment reported, “sets the stage” for the commercial cannabis industry that has eluded the District since legalization. Through…
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Dispensary Sales In Maryland Nearly Double Since April 2019
The Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission recently released a graph detailing dispensary sales of medicinal cannabis in Maryland between April 2019 and March 2020 and what it shows says a great deal about the robust industry in Maryland and how patients have responded to COVID-19. The chart shows that total sales over the past year are…
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Anti-Cannabis Congressman Andy Harris Downplays COVID-19’s Impact
Maryland’s only Republican congressman and all-around enemy to cannabis reform Andy Harris has been in the news lately, battling with Maryland governor Larry Hogan regarding “stay at home” orders tied to the COVID-19 pandemic and it seems, expressing disappointment that the virus has only killed nearly 100,000 Americans. “They promised two million dead at the…
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Washington DC Dispensaries Respond to Cannabis Delivery Rule
On April 13, an emergency rulemaking announced by Washington DC mayor Muriel Bowser and DC’s Health Department allowed the district’s medical marijuana dispensaries the ability to deliver for the first time. It was in response to COVID-19 which makes access to DC’s seven medicinal cannabis dispensaries extremely limited which means many patients cannot access the…
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Virginia Cannabis Reform Continues
Virginia approved cannabis decriminalization earlier this month and continues expanding cannabis and cannabis-related reform. Senate Bill 918/House Bill 1430, recently approved by Governor Ralph Northam, regulates products containing CBD as food: “The bill authorizes the Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services to adopt regulations establishing contaminant tolerances, labeling requirements, and batch testing requirements,” SB 918’s…
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ACLU Report Reveals Racial Disparities For Cannabis Arrests Remain Amid Reform
For this year’s 4/20 celebration, the American Civil Liberties Union released a sobering report. Titled “A Tale of Two Countries: Racially Targeted Arrests in the Era of Marijuana Reform,” the in-depth report illustrates how black people are 3.6 times more likely than white people to be arrested for cannabis possession. This is similar, the ACLU…
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Virginia Decriminalizes Cannabis, Plans To Establish Legalization Workgroup
Over the weekend, Governor Ralph Northam approved House Bill 972/Senate Bill 02, decriminalizing cannabis in Virginia. Decriminalization, which begins on July 1, 2020 means that cannabis possession of up to one ounce can only result in a maximum $25 citation and also means Virginians cannot be arrested or criminally charged for it. Additionally, amendments to…
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Medicinal Cannabis During COVID-19 When You Have a Disability
COVID-19 and the curve-flattening responses to it have altered the way most industries in the United States have operated including the cannabis industry, both aboveground and underground: Maryland’s Medical Cannabis Commission has adjusted its guidelines for the sale of cannabis to keep patients and processors safe; the owners of dispensaries have changed their approaches and…
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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…