Awright, we finally got an overload of NEWS to deal with this week. We're spoiled for choice, baby!
Virginia
The story we've been tracking about VA police field tests' inability to distinguish between legal hemp products and psychoactive cannabis turns a corner. According to the NBC I-Team investigation, VA isn't the only jurisdiciton with this problem. Florida recently turned to a company whose new field tests were implemented by Swiss police for the same purpose last September called Zurich Forensic Science Institute. Huh. I thought I killed all those guys in the last Fallout game. Well, whatever.
Virginia is following suit, but nothing's live yet here. They're still, uh…testing the tests, “so that we can understand the limitations of that test.” Then it's gotta get through the bureaucracy. So, soon, but not, like, that soon. Remember that we found out VA's current equipment can tell the difference in oils, like vape carts. So keep that in mind.
Washington, DC
Ok so there's some good news on the federal front- the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, & Urban Affairs is scheduling a hearing for Tuesday on the SAFE Act which would allow banks to work with state-legal marijuana businesses. So that's cool!
Locally, the news is a lot more depressing. The CityPaper presents the story of Che Larracuente, a DC resident that uses cannabis to control his seizures. Problem is, he picked up three convictions for growing before I71 took effect…
Worse is this local opinion piece in the Post today from a Brookland resident complaining about a marijuana market in her Brookland neighborhood. It is frequented patronized by visitors from MD and VA "If we are to judge by the license plates of the cars stopping to buy drugs." Wow.
It's called, uh, "An 18-year-old was murdered on our lawn. Two years later, it is still unsolved." Hard to, y'know, uh…argue with that. I mean, that's a pretty valid complaint.
Maryland
In lighter news, here's a presidential candidate from Westminster who supports full legalization of marijuana. He also wants to create a national registration of citizens, bring back the draft (now for men and women!), and "pass out morning-after pills like M&Ms, starting in the eighth grade.” Wow. That certainly is an interesting platform.
No, but for real, the big news in Maryland this week is that Curaleaf bought Grassroots. I mean, they're not Maryland-exclusive companies, but we know 'em and it's a big deal. Curaleaf is snapping up licenses and shops left and right. I can tell you from DC that when there's very few licensees, you get questionable products and inordinately high prices. And you want choices, right? You don't want five weeds, you want twenty five weeds! A hundred weeds! Five billion million weeds!
The deal, which will create the "World's Largest Cannabis Company" has to be approved by regulators in all the states where either company has presence. That'd be the MMCC and I'm pretty sure they can't hear our opinions over all that fresh new cash, but if you want to try, the number is 410-487-8100.