Tag: Main Blog
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Maryland NORML Said It Won’t Support a Legalization Ballot Measure if It Doesn’t Protect Home Grow
At a Aug. 6 meeting, the Maryland chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) decided they would not support a ballot measure to legalize cannabis in 2022 if the accompanying legislation does not permit residents to grow it themselves at home. The chapter meeting comes two weeks after the House…
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A New Socialist Coalition Wants To Localize The Fight For Cannabis Equity In Virginia
Cannabis advocates scored a huge win this year when Virginia passed a sweeping set of reforms legalizing the possession, home cultivation, and recreational sales of the plant. But for some, the work is only getting started. A new activist group is gearing up to take the fight for cannabis justice beyond Virginia’s state legislature, and…
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All Eyes Turn To Senate As House Approves Budget That Drops Ban On D.C. Pot Sales
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a package of spending bills on Thursday July 29 that, if enacted, would allow D.C. to launch a regulated market for recreational cannabis sales. D.C. voters overwhelmingly approved possession and home cultivation in a 2014 ballot initiative, but a Congressional budget rider has blocked the jurisdiction from using local…
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This Virginia Couple Is Selling Pot “Stashboxes” To Keep Drivers Safe From Open Container Laws
Consuming cannabis may now be legal in Virginia, but getting caught with pot behind the wheel can still get you in trouble. Under the commonwealth’s new laws, which went into effect on July 1, having an open container of cannabis in your car is considered a Class 4 misdemeanor. That’s Virginia’s lowest-level criminal offense, meaning…
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Goodness Growth Holdings Expands Into Maryland’s Cannabis Industry Amid Psychedelics Research Partnership With Johns Hopkins
Goodness Growth Holdings, formerly known as Vireo Health, announced its $8 million purchase of Charm City Medicus dispensary in Baltimore earlier this month marking the acquisition of it’s second dispensary in Maryland. Upon the deal closing, Charm City Medicus will begin operating under the company’s dispensary brand “Green Goods.” The other Green Goods location opened…
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D.C. Police Chief Says Cannabis Is Fueling A Surge In Gun Violence. Advocates Say That’s ‘Absurd.’
A series of recent shootings in some of D.C.’s wealthy neighborhoods has left local officials scrambling to address gun violence in parts of D.C. that generally do not experience it. Though many District residents face gun violence on a daily basis, the public outcry first erupted when 6-year-old Nyiah Courtney was killed in a drive-by-shooting…
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This Outdated Tax Law Makes Turning a Profit Tough For D.C. Cannabis Businesses
Since 2015, Jen Brunenkant has been running Herbal Alternatives, a medical cannabis dispensary in Dupont Circle, one of D.C.’s most upscale neighborhoods. From a local perspective, her business is totally above board: D.C. legalized medical cannabis over a decade ago, and Brunenkant has a city-issued dispensary license. So when tax season rolls around, Brunenkant does…
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Maryland Speaker of the House Supports Cannabis Legalization Referendum in 2022. This Could Have Passed Years Ago.
Maryland’s House of Delegates Speaker Adrienne Jones (D) announced last week she supports a ballot referendum to legalize cannabis in 2022. If cannabis legalization was posed as a question on the 2022 ballot, it would be likely to pass considering the growing majority of Maryland residents that have favored legalization since 2015, according to an…
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Virginia Gov. Northam Makes Picks For Three New Boards To Oversee Cannabis Legalization
Gov. Ralph Northam on Monday announced appointments to three newly-created boards charged with overseeing the future of recreational cannabis in Virginia in the wake of legalization earlier this month. On July 1, the commonwealth authorized the possession and home cultivation of pot for adult Virginians following the passage of sweeping new cannabis laws by the…
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‘High and Holy’: Baltimore City Baptist Church Holds Conversation About Cannabis Legalization
Last week, the marquee sign in front of Pleasant Hope Baptist Church in Baltimore displayed a message in support of the Olympic sprinter who was barred from competition after testing positive for THC: “Sha’carri Richardson you are still that girl #Legalize.” the sign read. In his blog, the church’s Reverend Dr. Heber Brown III said…
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Schumer (Finally) Unveils Long-Awaited First Draft Of Landmark Legalization Bill
After months of anticipation, a trio of Democratic Senators have finally unveiled the first draft of a major bill aimed at legalizing cannabis at the federal level. The 163-page document, titled the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, has broad implications for the future of pot in America, tackling issues from regulation to reparations. Sen. Majority…
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Virginia Legalized Cannabis. For Public Housing Residents, It’s Still Banned.
Recreational cannabis may now be legal in Virginia, but not everyone is reaping the benefits. For Virginians who live in public housing or receive federal rental assistance, using cannabis at home remains prohibited, and could have serious consequences. That’s because cannabis is still a federally banned substance, and organizations that get money from the U.S.…