Weekend News Recap
Here are some news articles you might have missed over the weekend. There is a lot going on in the cannabis-focused world. We need to look outside the state to ensure we stay ahead of the game to push legalization here in Connecticut. It would appear our legislators are not educating themselves.
Let’s normalize cannabis, it’s ok to talk about it. Cannabis does not make you a bad person.
April 2, 2018
Cannabis law offers redress for past prosecution
This should make us all happy. When prohibition ends, we need to ensure the past wrongs are corrected. We should strive to fix the social and criminal injustices of previous administrations Past pioneers should be included in the future cannabis industry. Why should people be excluded for past non-violent marijuana crimes? We can benefit from the knowledge exchange.
-Dabbin Dad
Larry Parnass
As the state moves next week to select players for a lucrative cannabis industry, it also is looking back, mindful of how people and communities suffered under former drug laws.
Like the 24 people arrested in Pittsfield for marijuana possession in the waning days of prohibition, from 2006 to 2010.
Or the 20 people in North Adams during those five years, the 10 in Williamstown and the eight in Great Barrington.
Even as state officials await a tax windfall from cannabis sales, new rules attempt to made limited amends.
Starting Monday, the state Cannabis Control Commission will spend two weeks reviewing applications from two groups that, if certified, will be able to get a first crack at entering what’s expected to debut as a $400 million-a-year business.
One group is existing medical marijuana dispensaries.
The other: People from communities and neighborhoods, mainly black and Latino, who endured disproportionately high rates of arrest and incarceration.
Regret about that found its way into “An Act To Ensure Safe Access to Marijuana,” the state law that has directed work by the cannabis commission now in a final three-month sprint to the start of adult-use sales.
“Criminalization has had long-term ill effects, not only on the individuals arrested and incarcerated, but on their families and communities,” says the commission’s Summary of Equity Provisions.
People from both of Berkshire County’s two cities, North Adams and Pittsfield, are eligible to apply for priority status, based on arrest rates, population, poverty and unemployment. Read more.
State cannabis regulators to begin accepting commercial bids
When will Connecticut legislators stop stalling on cannabis legalization. If we want to keep people living in the Nutmeg State, we should demand that legislators stop lying and wasting state resources in order to debate what everyone else appears to understand except the ones we put in charge within the halls of the capitol.
-Dabbin Dad
Associated Press
Massachusetts is taking another step on the road toward commercial sales of recreational marijuana, which are expected to begin on July 1.
On Monday, the Cannabis Control Commission will begin accepting applications for “priority certification” of marijuana businesses.
Operators of medical marijuana dispensaries seeking to expand into commercial sales are eligible for priority certification, as are prospective cannabis businesses that seek to operate in low-income or minority communities that were disproportionately affected by the so-called war on drugs.
According to regulations approved by the commission, those granted priority certification can then apply for commercial licenses on April 16. Read More.
In the murky world of DC marijuana law, ‘pop-up’ markets thrive
The word “murky” should not be used in relation to cannabis legalization. We should mandate full cannabis legalization and keep the so-called “criminal activity” out of cannabis. #FreeTheLeaf
-Dabbin Dad
Tauhid Chappell, Tom Jackman
Vendors believe they have found a workaround to the law, but the police call it illegal drug dealing.
At the XO Lounge in downtown Washington one January night, people who paid a $10 cover charge were greeted with samples of caramel popcorn, brownies and crisped-rice treats – all infused with marijuana.
Customers could browse three floors with tables featuring all manner of cannabis: edible candies, smokable flower, wax, oils and more. All were available only after a suitable “donation” was given for a sticker, or a football card, for which the cannabis was billed as simply an added “gift”. The top floor featured a full-service bar, and music thumped throughout as a steady flow of customers entered the restaurant and nightclub.
The next night, it was DC police and alcoholic beverage regulators who poured in. They arrested 22 of the vendors, charging them with misdemeanor drug possession with intent to distribute.
Weeks later, though, DC prosecutors dropped charges against those defendants, raising questions about how the US attorney’s office ultimately will handle such cases.
These marijuana pop-up events have emerged in the bizarre twilight zone of DC marijuana law, where it is legal to possess small amounts of cannabis – but it is not legal to sell it. The events occur nightly in the nation’s capital, advertised openly on social media.
Some vendors believe they have found a workaround to the law, saying that they are only selling trinkets and that the cannabis is included. Police call it illegal drug dealing. Read More
H/T: Berkshire Eagle, News Observer, Independent