DC Council opposes bill to establish recreational cannabis trading system
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District of Columbia Council Chairman Phil Mendelson introduced new emergency legislation to reform the medical marijuana market in the nation’s capital, where cannabis is perfectly legal but its sale is banned, through an annually renewed congressional spending bill that use of local cannabis prohibits taxes to introduce a recreational cannabis trading system.
“The important part of the legislation is that it makes it easier for the legal medical marijuana businesses that we license to maintain their customer base,” Mendelson said Monday. “The legitimate businesses have seen a significant erosion of their business in the legitimate market and I want to make it clear that this is not a gray market, it is an illegal market.”
Photo by Olena Ruban/Getty Images
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The bill would have allowed adults 21 and older to self-certify to use medicinal cannabis and introduced a tax exemption for medicinal cannabis products in April. On Tuesday, however, the county council rejected a resolution to allow expedited processing of the bill.
The bill has been criticized by advocacy group DC Marijuana Justice (DCMJ) over a planned civil enforcement action: a $30,000 fine for unregistered businesses that “gift” marijuana to people who buy unrelated products and services. Advocates are concerned about the bankruptcy effect of the fines on minority-owned companies.
Additionally, the bill has been criticized for failing to remove the cap on medical cannabis vendors to include current operators who give away cannabis.
“The solution is to remove the driver,” Mendelson noted. “Both houses of Congress have proposed repealing Rep. Andy Harris’ (R-MD) tab, but last year’s budget bill upheld the ban, and President Joe Biden proposed a second time last month a budget that lifted cannabis restrictions would continue. reported Marijuana Moment.
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Bill’s supporters include Dr. Chanda Macias, CEO of the National Holistic Healing Center. “As one of four black-owned pharmacies in DC, this emergency legislation will help us continue to serve these vulnerable patients with safe, tested products from licensed regulated operators,” said Dr. Macias, guest speaker at the upcoming Benzinga Cannabis Capital conference April 20-21 in Miami.
This article originally appeared on Benzinga and has been republished with permission.
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