ENVIRONMENTAL & SOCIAL JUSTICE
Where Things Stand: Update on the Cannabis Industry in the DMV
BY MEREDITH KINNER AND JOHN MCGOWAN
Gentle Dental Care FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY Mercury Free Dentistry since 1982 Board Certified by the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine Our office offers a unique approach combining the best from the natural modalities of homeopathy, Chinese medicine and nutrition, with the latest lifesaving treatment for sleep apnea and snoring. We have been a health oriented practice for over 40 years, offering a variety of quality services including: As a result, the market had no choice but to adapt, and has done so by creating a gray economy where businesses transfer or “gift” legal amounts of cannabis to adults. These small businesses largely operate as any other small retailer would, except when a customer purchases a retail product, say a T-shirt or art, they also receive a gift of canna- bis. If a business is charging fair market value for its retail products, it can be said that there is no value being attached to the gift of can- nabis. Therefore, I-71 does not run afoul of the Harris rider, because LWGRHVQRWUHTXLUHWKH'LVWULFWWRWDNHDQ\SRVLWLYHDFWLRQWRUHJXODWH FDQQDELV DQG GRHVQRW SHUPLW WKH RXWULJKW VDOH RI FDQQDELV5DWKHU it exempts the use, possession, transfer, transport and cultivation of small amounts of cannabis from criminal prosecution, which is an im- portant distinction. 7KH'LVWULFW¶VFDQQDELVFRPPXQLW\ZDVLQLWLDOO\EXR\HGE\WKH HOHFWLRQ DQG KRSHIXO WKDW ZLWK D'HPRFUDW LQ WKH:KLWH+RXVH DQG &RQJUHVV ÀLSSLQJ IURP5HSXEOLFDQ WR'HPRFUDW PLJKW EH WKH \HDU WKH+DUULV ULGHU ¿QDOO\ GLHG ,Q HDUO\0DUFK '&0D\RU 0XULHO %RZVHU DQG WKH &RXQFLO &KDLUPDQ 3KLO0HQGHOVRQ ERWK LQ - WURGXFHGDGXOWXVHFDQQDELVELOOV2Q1RYHPEHU DPDUDWKRQ SXEOLFKHDULQJZDVKHOGRQ0HQGHOVRQ¶VELOO7KLVKHDULQJZDVDELJ ¿UVW VWHS WRZDUG HVWDEOLVKLQJ D UHJXODWHGPDUNHW 7KRXJKZKDW WKLV adult market will look like was a point of contention among the wit- nesses, perhaps the most contentious issue is how to treat the exist- ing I-71 businesses during and after the transition to a fully regulated market. continued on page 26
2YHU WKHSDVW IHZ\HDUV MXULVGLFWLRQV WKDWKDYH OHJDOL]HGDGXOWXVH cannabis have all passed laws or local initiatives to varying degrees. The intent of these laws also vary — from addressing inequities and providing meaningful access for BIPOC and others to participate in the lucrative legal cannabis market, to legislating the operational and law enforcement conditions of these markets. Navigating all these changes can make any head spin. 7RUHFDSIRUW\QLQHVWDWHVDQGWKH'LVWULFWRI&ROXPELDFXUUHQWO\ KDYH ODZVZKLFK OHJDOL]HFDQQDELVRU ORZ7+&&%' IRUPHGLFDOXVH 7KLVKDVQ¶WFKDQJHGVLQFH6XPPHUZKHQ VWDWHVDQGWKH'LV - WULFWRI&ROXPELDKDYH OHJDOL]HGDGXOWXVHFDQQDELV&DQQDELV LVVWLOO LOOHJDODW WKH IHGHUDO OHYHOGHVSLWH WKHRYHUZKHOPLQJ WUHQG WR - ZDUGOHJDOL]DWLRQDWWKHVWDWHOHYHO 7KH ODZV KHUH LQ WKH WULVWDWH DUHD ZKLFK LQFOXGHV WKH 'LVWULFW 0DU\ODQG DQG 9LUJLQLD DUH HTXDOO\ D̆HFWHG E\ GL̆HUHQW GHJUHHV RI ÀX[VRLW¶VZRUWKSHULRGLFDOO\UHSRUWLQJRQZKHUHWKLQJVVWDQGLQWKH '09 I. Washington, D.C. 7KH'LVWULFWPHGLFDOFDQQDELVSURJUDPEHFDPHRSHUDWLRQDOLQ $VRI-DQXDU\WKHUHDUHFXUUHQWO\GLVSHQVDULHVFXOWLYDWLRQ FHQWHUVDQGXQLTXHPHGLFDOFDQQDELVSDWLHQWV7KH$OFRKROLF %HYHUDJH5HJXODWLRQ$GPLQLVWUDWLRQZKLFKDGPLQLVWHUVWKHSURJUDP is expected to issue a license for one additional dispensary, two cul- tivation centers and two independent testing facilities in September 7KH'LVWULFWLVDXQLTXHMXULVGLFWLRQIRUPDQ\UHDVRQVQRWWKHOHDVW RIZKLFKLVLWVUHODWLRQVKLSZLWK&RQJUHVVZKLFKFRQWUROVWKH'LVWULFW¶V purse strings and has far reaching oversight over legislation put for- ZDUGE\WKH&LW\&RXQFLODVZHOODVEDOORWLQLWLDWLYHVDGRSWHGE\'LV - WULFWYRWHUV:KHQWKH'&&RXQFLOSDVVHVDPXQLFLSDOEXGJHWLWLVDX - tomatically incorporated into the omnibus federal budget. This means WKDWPHPEHUVRI&RQJUHVVKDYHWKHDELOLW\WRVLQJOHKDQGHGO\LQÀXHQFH KRZWKH'LVWULFWDOORFDWHVLWVEXGJHW :KDWGRHVDOOWKLVKDYHWRGRZLWKFDQQDELV"*RRGTXHVWLRQ,Q)DOO 'LVWULFW YRWHUV RYHUZKHOPLQJO\ SDVVHG %DOORW ,QLWLDWLYH RU ,DV LW LVFROORTXLDOO\ UHIHUUHG WR ZKLFK OHJDOL]HG NLQGRI DGXOW use cannabis. If you are familiar with I-71, then recall under this stat- XWHLWLVOHJDOIRUDQDGXOW DJHDQGROGHU WRSRVVHVVDQGWUDQVSRUW XSWRRXQFHVRIFDQQDELVÀRZHUDQGWRWUDQVIHUXSWRRXQFHRIFDQ - QDELVÀRZHUWRDQRWKHUDGXOW2QHDGXOWLVDOVRSHUPLWWHGWRFXOWLYDWH no more than 6 cannabis plants in their principal residence, with 3 of the plants being mature and budding at any one time; and two adults PD\FXOWLYDWHXSWRSODQWVLQWKHLUSULQFLSDOUHVLGHQFHZLWKVL[EHLQJ mature at one time. An adult is also permitted to possess the harvest from their legally grown plants in their residence. 6KRUWO\ DIWHU , ZDV SDVVHG RYHUZKHOPLQJO\ E\ 'LVWULFW YRWHUV the actual sale of cannabis was restrained due to the so-called “Harris 5LGHU´5HSUHVHQWDWLYH$QG\+DUULVD5HSXEOLFDQ&RQJUHVVPDQIURP 0DU\ODQG¶V(DVWHUQ6KRUHDXWKRUHGDQDPHQGPHQWRU³ULGHU´WRWKH IHGHUDOEXGJHWSUHYHQWLQJWKH'LVWULFWIURPXVLQJLWVPXQLFLSDOEXGJHW WR ³HQDFWDQ\ ODZ UXOHRU UHJXODWLRQ WR OHJDOL]HRURWKHUZLVH UHGXFH penalties associated with the possession, use, or distribution of [can- QDELV@´ ,Q WKLVZD\ WKH+DUULV ULGHUH̆HFWLYHO\SUHYHQWV WKH'LVWULFW from using its own budget to develop and implement the regulatory infrastructure required to create a taxed and regulated adult-use can- nabis market.
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PATHWAYS—Spring 22—25
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