Hashish gifting storefronts and supply providers in Washington, DC are bracing themselves immediately for a DC Metropolis Council emergency vote scheduled for tomorrow, April 5, 2022, that would drive them again underground.
Initiative 71 legalized hashish for leisure use in DC in 2014, with 64.87% of voters approving the measure. Nonetheless, DC’s lack of statehood signifies that the town price range must be accredited by Congress — and instantly following the passage of the initiative, Maryland Republican Rep. Andy Harris launched an modification to the invoice often called the Harris Rider that has successfully allowed Congress to block the city government from legalizing business adult-use gross sales.
Residents of DC are at the moment allowed to own as much as two ounces of hashish, develop as much as six vegetation, and present as much as an oz. to different adults, however business gross sales stay banned because of the Harris Rider. Over the past a number of years, this has led to a “gifting financial system,” a inventive workaround wherein clients buy an merchandise akin to a T-shirt, digital artwork, gym membership or different product and obtain a hashish present in alternate.
This has led to some stress between medical hashish dispensary homeowners and the parents operating gifting providers. It’s additionally attracted the ire of DC Metropolis Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, who has tried to take motion in opposition to I-71 gifting retailers a number of instances.
Final 12 months, Mendelson introduced an emergency bill to empower metropolis businesses to interact in “revocation of licenses, sealing of premises, and fines for companies buying, promoting or exchanging marijuana.” The language within the invoice that will have elevated enforcement on gifting companies, together with a fantastic of as much as $30,000, was eliminated someday forward of the vote.
Now Mendelson has revived the combat, calling for an emergency vote tomorrow that will enable the town to shut down gifting companies beginning in mid-Could, whereas additionally eliminating the necessity for a physician’s advice for anybody procuring medical hashish from DC dispensaries by self-certifying their medical use. This transfer is supported by many medical hashish dispensary homeowners, who complain that they’re shedding enterprise to gifting shops, which function in a grey space of the legislation because of the Harris Rider.
A decision from Mendelson’s workplace, reported by DCist.com, declares that “A number of dozen unlawful hashish companies are at the moment working within the District. These companies … don’t pay the charges and taxes licensed services should pay, placing licensed hashish companies at a aggressive drawback.”
Beneath I-71, DC residents can develop as much as six vegetation for private use and gifting — however dwelling growers accused of operating an unlawful service may very well be fined $30,000 and locked out of their residence for 96 hours.
DC residents can contact council members to allow them to know they don’t need their taxes getting used to close down hashish gifting shops. The vote is scheduled for tomorrow’s legislative session.