Update: DC's Council Rejects Bill To Establish A System Of Recreational Cannabis Commerce

District of Columbia Council Chairman, Phil Mendelson, introduced a new emergency bill to reform the medical marijuana market in the nation's capital where cannabis is fully legal but sales are banned, by a congressional spending bill rider that’s been annually renewed, prohibiting the use of local taxes to implement a system of recreational cannabis commerce.

“The important part of the legislation is that it’s making it easier for the legal medical marijuana businesses, which we are licensing, to be able to maintain their customer base,” Mendelson said on Monday. “The legal shops have seen a substantial erosion of their business to the legal market and I want to be clear, this is not a gray market, it’s an illegal market.”

The bill would have allowed for self-certification for adults 21+ to use medical cannabis and established a tax holiday for medical cannabis products during April.

However, on Tuesday, the District Council rejected a resolution to allow expedited action on the bill.

The bill was criticized by the advocacy group D.C. Marijuana Justice (DCMJ) over a proposed civil enforcement action: a $30,000 fine for unregistered businesses that “gift” marijuana to people who purchase unrelated products and services. Advocates are concerned about the bankruptcy effect of the fines on businesses owned by minorities.

In addition, the bill was criticized for not lifting the cap on medical cannabis providers to include current operators gifting cannabis.

“The solution is to remove the rider,” Mendelson noted. “Both chambers of Congress have proposed lifting the rider from Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD), but last year’s appropriations bill maintained the ban, and President Joe Biden last month proposed for the second time a budget that would continue the cannabis restriction,” reported Marijuana Moment.

Bill supporters include Dr. Chanda Macias, CEO of the National Holistic Healing Center. “As one of the four Black-owned dispensaries in D.C., this emergency legislation will help us continue to serve these vulnerable patients with safe, tested products from licensed regulated operators,” said Dr. Macias, who is a guest speaker at the upcoming Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference in Miami April 20-21. 

Image Via El Planteo.