ENVIRONMENTAL & SOCIAL JUSTICE
Update on the Cannabis Industry... ...continued from page 25 8QIRUWXQDWHO\RQ'HFHPEHU MXVW D IHZ VKRUWZHHNV DIWHU the hearing, movement on the bill stalled in earnest when Congress SDVVHGD ³FRQWLQXLQJ UHVROXWLRQ´RU ³&5´XQWLO)HEUXDU\$ continuing resolution is a temporary measure that keeps the previous year’s budget in place until Congress gets it together to pass a new EXGJHW )RU WKH'LVWULFW WKH &5PHDQW WKDW WKH EXGJHWZKLFK contained the Harris rider, would remain in place until Congress SDVVHGWKHEXGJHWRUWKH&5H[SLUHGDQG&RQJUHVVSDVVHGDQHZ &5 1RW VXUSULVLQJO\ &RQJUHVV SXQWHG DQG RQ )HEUXDU\ &RQJUHVVSDVVHGDQRWKHU&5WKLVRQHVHWWRH[SLUHRQ0DUFK It is unlikely that there will be any further debate by the Council on 0HQGHOVRQ¶VELOOXQWLODEXGJHWLVSDVVHG II. Maryland 6LQFHLWVLQFHSWLRQLQ0DU\ODQG¶VPHGLFDOFDQQDELVSURJUDP has been plagued by a torrent of lawsuits and protracted delays. In VSLWHRIWKLVPHGLFDOFDQQDELVLQ0DU\ODQGKDVÀRXULVKHG$VRI'H - FHPEHUWKHPDUNHWERDVWVDQHVWLPDWHGELOOLRQLQUHWDLOVDOHV in just 3 years. The medical cannabis market will just continue to grow as more medical cannabis processors and cultivators become opera- tional. 7KHLQLWLDOSXVKIRUDGXOWXVHFDQQDELVLQ0DU\ODQGODUJHO\VWDOOHG RXWLQZKHQPXOWLSOHOHJDOL]DWLRQELOOVIDLOHGWRJHWRXWRIFRP - PLWWHH%XW FRXOG EH D JDPH FKDQJHUZLWK VWDWH UHSUHVHQWD - WLYHV¿OLQJVHSDUDWHOHJDOL]DWLRQELOOVLQWKH¿UVWZHHNVRIWKHOHJLVODWLYH session. 'HO /XNH &OLSSLQJHU '%DOWLPRUH LQWURGXFHG D SURSRVHG EDOORW UHIHUHQGXPZKLFKZRXOGOHDYHWKHTXHVWLRQRIOHJDOL]DWLRQXSWRYRW - HUVLQ)DOODVZHOODVDFFRPSDQ\LQJOHJLVODWLRQWKDWZRXOGDOORZ
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DGXOWV DJHDQGROGHU WRSXUFKDVH DQGSRVVHVVXS WR RXQFHVRI cannabis and automatically expunge prior state cannabis possession FKDUJHV 6HQ -LOO &DUWHU¶V '%DOWLPRUH ELOOZRXOG SHUPLW DGXOWV WR possess up to 4 ounces of cannabis, allow for home grow, vacate canna- ELVSRVVHVVLRQDQGGLVWULEXWLRQFRQYLFWLRQVDQGZRXOGUHTXLUHRI operators to be a minority-owned business. The third bill, introduced E\6HQ%ULDQ)HOGPDQ '0RQWJRPHU\&RXQW\ ZRXOGDOORZDGXOWV WRSRVVHVVXSWRRXQFHVRIFDQQDELVDQGDXWRPDWLFDOO\H[SXQJHSDVW cannabis convictions. The cannabis community will be following these developments closely. III. Virginia Virginia’s foray into the world of regulated cannabis has been full of surprises, and has proven to be a harbinger of good things to come LQWKHVWDWH,Q)HEUXDU\9LUJLQLD¶V*HQHUDO$VVHPEO\SDVVHGDQ DGXOW XVH FDQQDELV OHJDOL]DWLRQ ELOO 7KHQ *RYHUQRU 5DOSK 1RUWKDP VLJQHG WKH ELOO LQWR ODZ RQ $SULO PDNLQJ 9LUJLQLD WKH ¿UVW 6RXWKHUQVWDWHWROHJDOL]HDGXOWXVHFDQQDELV &XUUHQWO\DGXOWV DQGRYHU LQ9LUJLQLDPD\SRVVHVVXSWRRXQFH of cannabis or an equivalent amount of cannabis products (like con- centrates, oils, edibles, etc.), transfer one ounce of cannabis to another adult, and cultivate no more than 4 cannabis plants in their principal residence. The possession of more than 1 ounce of cannabis but less WKDQSRXQGLVD¿QH+RZHYHUSRVVHVVLRQRIPRUHWKDQSRXQG LVVWLOODIHORQ\7KHFXUUHQWODZUHVHPEOHVWKH'LVWULFW¶V,LQWKDWLW permits an adult to transfer cannabis to another adult; but the Virgin- ia law explicitly prohibits a business from transferring cannabis to an LQGLYLGXDOZKLFK H̆HFWLYHO\ FORVHV WKH JLIWLQJ ORRSKROH H[SORLWHG E\ I-71 businesses. 7KHELOODOVRFUHDWHGDUHJXODWHGDQG WD[HGDGXOWXVHPDUNHW VODWHGWREHFRPHRSHUDWLRQDOLQZLWKGLVSHQVDU\OLFHQVHHV ZKROHVDOHUVFXOWLYDWRUVDQGSURFHVVRUV)XUWKHUPRUHWKH ELOODGGUHVVHGVRFLDOHTXLW\E\SULRULWL]LQJOLFHQVHDSSOLFDQWVWKDWKDYH an ownership team with 66% representation of individuals that have had a prior cannabis conviction, have a close family member with a cannabis conviction, live in an area that is considered economically distressed, or who have graduated from a Historically Black College or University located in Virginia. However, in a quirk of Virginia politics, as the bill was drafted, the VSHFL¿F SURYLVLRQV UHJDUGLQJ D UHJXODWHG PDUNHW DQG VRFLDO HTXLW\ must be re-enacted by the state legislature and again signed by the *RYHUQRUE\-XO\7KHHOHFWLRQRI5HSXEOLFDQ*OHQ<RXQJNLQ DVJRYHUQRUDQG WKHÀLSRI WKH VWDWH OHJLVODWXUH IURPD'HPRFUDW WR 5HSXEOLFDQPDMRULW\KDYHWKURZQWKHIXWXUHRIWKLVUHHQDFWPHQWLQWR TXHVWLRQ:KLOH<RXQJNLQDQGWKHPDMRULW\RIWKHVWDWH¶V5HSXEOLFDQ lawmakers have signaled they will not scrap the regulated market, the future of the social equity provisions still remains unclear. Meredith Kinner and John McGowan are the managing partners of Kinner & Mc- *RZDQ3//&DERXWLTXHFDQQDELVIRFXVHGODZ¿UPEDVHGLQ:DVKLQJWRQ'&. 0 DGYLVHVEXVLQHVVHVLQWKHPHGLFDODQGDGXOWXVHFDQQDELVVSDFHLQ:DVKLQJWRQ'& 0DU\ODQGDQGVXUURXQGLQJMXULVGLFWLRQV0HUHGLWKDQG-RKQDUHDOVRWKHSXEOLVKHUV RI7KH2XWODZ5HSRUWWKHHVVHQWLDORQOLQHVRXUFHIRUFDQQDELVQHZVLQWKH'09
26—PATHWAYS—Spring 22
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