420DC Weekly Round Up

Headlines from 11/17-11/24

Brought to you by The Outlaw Report

VA

Cannabis Legalization Coming To Virginia

On Monday, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam responded to the release of a report from The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission recommending the process for cannabis legalization by announcing his support of it. “It’s time to legalize marijuana in Virginia,” Northam said. “Our Commonwealth has an opportunity to be the first state in the South to take this step, and we will lead with a focus on equity, public health, and public safety. I look forward to working with the General Assembly to get this right.”

 

MD

Commercial Hemp Farming Comes To MD

The Maryland Department of Agriculture recently announced that it has adopted regulations to expand the industrial hemp program. These regulations move Maryland’s Hemp Program into compliance with the 2018 Farm Bill and will allow farmers to begin to farm industrial hemp “as an agricultural commodity,” as opposed to strictly for research which has been the case in Maryland until now. “We have seen significant interest in the first two years of the Industrial Hemp Research Pilot Program and we are excited to expand the state’s hemp industry with the new Hemp Farming Program,” Secretary of Agriculture Joe Bartenfelder said. 

 

Quick Hit

Cannabis Revenue Prevents Lay-Offs in Chicago

“Buoyed by higher than expected marijuana revenues, Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Saturday canceled plans to lay off 350 city employees to help secure the 26 City Council votes she needs to pass her ‘pandemic budget,’” The Chicago Sun Times reported. “Revenues generated by the sale of recreational and medical marijuana have ‘gone through the roof’— topping $100 million statewide for the first time in October and $800 million in the first 10 months.”

 

Podcast

2020 Election Results: Drugs Won

In this episode of The Outlaw Report, Scott Cecil is joined by The Outlaw Report’s Brandon Soderberg to discuss the role of cannabis and drug reform in the recent election. They review the results of the 2020 election and how those results impacted drug policy in D.C. and across the United States. They also take a deep dive into what the policy ramifications might be under a Biden Harris administration, and why it matters for drug policy reform which party wins control of the U.S. Senate.