November 16, 2021 John,
Two pieces of legislation are currently pending in the DC Council related to establishing regulations for retail marijuana sales to adults in the District!
Send a message to your lawmakers now in support of enacting fair and equitable legislation to regulate retail marijuana sales for adults in D.C.
One bill was introduced by Mayor Bowser, and the second by Chairman Mendelson and other members of the DC Council: The Comprehensive Cannabis Legalization and Regulation Act (Bill 24-114).
The Comprehensive Cannabis Legalization and Regulation Act is scheduled for a public hearing on Friday November 19, 2021 at 9:00am. A separate bill to expand medical cannabis access will also be heard.
The Comprehensive Cannabis Legalization and Regulation Act would tax marijuana sales at 13 percent, facilitate the automatic expungement of certain past convictions, reserve half of all available business licenses for equity applicants, direct 80 percent of revenue toward community reinvestment and social equity programs, and includes protections for those under community supervision, those who rely on public benefits, parents and employees.
This hearing marks the first step towards safe and regulated access to cannabis products for DC adults! At this point, its not about "if" this is going to happen, but "how." And it is up to us to make sure that equity and community reinvestment is at the core of these regulations. Because not only do adults deserve safe and legal cannabis access, but the communities that have been disproportionately harmed by decades of cannabis criminalization deserve a seat at the table.
So, please send a message to your lawmakers now in support of enacting fair and equitable legislation to regulate retail marijuana sales for adults in D.C.
You can watch the hearing live on the Council website. If you would like to submit your own comments to council members, you can submit written materials to [email protected] until December 3, 2021! You can also sign up to testify orally at the hearing on Friday (deadline to sign up is Wed. at 5pm!).
Thanks for participating in the legislative process!
The NORML Team
P.S. During these difficult times, NORML’s efforts have largely been supported by our amazing sustaining members who contribute a few bucks a month to help ensure we have the resources for the long fight. If you can, kick in $5, $10 or $20 a month to help us keep going.
