According to the Virginia Business and regarding the Recreational Cannabis in dc. “Many small cannabis entrepreneurs say large companies are jockeying to lock them out of the industry and have funding that gives them more access to lawmakers”. Sarah Grant is the general manager of The Dispensary in Richmond that sells Delta-8-THC flowers. “It’s hard to compete if you are going against the Walmart of weed”, states Grant.
What does the Legislation for Recreational Cannabis In DC need to do next?
The lack of structure in the recreational cannabis in dc makes it almost impossible to compete with national corporations that can lobby/pay for access. Virginia Business informs us, “new lobbying clients, special interest groups and investors have entered the arena during the past four years as Virginia lawmakers grappled with medical and recreational cannabis legislation. State lawmakers decriminalized simple possession of cannabis in 2021 with the initial plans to legalize recreational cannabis by 2024 — though that floundered in this year’s session”. Legislation for recreational cannabis in dc will need to be reenacted, meaning voted on gain, before coming into law next year.
The Virginia Business reminds us that recently, “Sen. Adam Ebbin, D-Alexandria, sponsored a bill to establish a recreational cannabis in dc through a handful of medical dispensaries that already operate in the state, and large-scale industrial hemp processors. The measure was an attempt to reenact legislation passed last year and accelerate the creation of the recreational cannabis market”. However, like Sarah Grant mentioned earlier, this is catering to the medical marijuana oligarchies and blocking access for most people.
How many medical marijuana companies are in virginia?
Virginia Business further reports, “the currently licensed medical cannabis dispensaries each paid $70,000 total in permit fees for their medical facilities to become operational. The annual renewal fee is $10,000. Under Ebbin’s amended bill, dispensaries would have paid $6 million to hold another license to open recreational retail stores and hemp growers would pay half a million dollars each”. Currently there are five licensed medical marijuana companies to service the 5 identified health districts of Virginia. This is only for medicinal cannabis.
However, there is a booming illicit market in Virginia. According to Virginia Business, “Virginia’s illicit recreational cannabis market is estimated to be the No. 4 in the nation, according to the 2020 U.S. Cannabis Report. Virginia’s market generated roughly $1.8 billion of America’s estimated $60 billion in total illegal cannabis sales in 2020”. In Northern Virginia I am certain a large portion of illicit sales are happening legally. Virginia is years away from legal recreational sales. However, Washington DC has Initiative 71 on the books. Initiative 71 allows for cannabis to be transported and gifted to individuals twenty-one and over. The Office of The Mayor (DC) lays out the rules for Initiative 71 compliance.
Like in Virginia, the medical marijuana lobbyists have been fighting to eliminate the gifting businesses associated with Initiative 71. Thankfully, they have been unsuccessful. You may call a delivery dispensary like Select Co-op to have items delivered to you within Washington DC city limits. You may schedule a time to pick up flowers from folks at Gifted legacy dispensary. You may choose to schedule a time for Takoma Care and Wellness to drop-off your gift to you. There is also the option of having your edibles, concentrates, flowers, and/or carts delivered to you by DC Cooperative dispensary. Any of these dispensaries will provide prompt, discrete, and quality service and products at your convenience good luck with your recreational cannabis in dc supplies.
