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Welcome back to The Week in Weed, your Friday look at what’s happening in the world of legalized marijuana. This week, we see that Virginia is one signature away from having a retail market. The Congressional Research Service seems to be less than optimistic about federal rescheduling. A new journal article reports on research into state legalization and illicit markets. And finally, Governor Newsom legalizes cannabis nationwide.
VIRGINIA
We’ve reported on the potential for Virginia to set up a retail market for cannabis many times, and the story always ends in defeat for proponents. This time, though, looks different. The legislature has come up with a bill that passed both chambers, and it’s now on its way to the Governor’s desk. Unlike the previous Governor, Glenn Youngkin (R), the current Governor, Abigail Spanberger (D), has indicated her support for the measure. With apologies to The Who, sometimes, you meet the new boss, and it’s not the same as the old boss.
CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE
For those outside the Beltway, the Congressional Research Service is a part of the Library of Congress. Just as its name implies, it does research on topics of interest to Congress. Many of its reports are available to the public at no charge. They’ve recently updated their report on the status of the federal-state conflict as regards cannabis. Whereas before they described rescheduling as “likely,” they now indicate that it’s something that “may” happen.
LEGALIZATION RESEARCH
This week has been a banner one for cannabis policy research. Often, proponents of legalization point to ending illicit cannabis markets as a reason to make adult-use marijuana legal. But is that actually true? Will people switch from their local dealer to a legal dispensary? Research published in the International Journal of Drug Policy indicates that illicit markets do decline in states where cannabis is legalized, but it’s complicated.
AND FINALLY
It’s no secret that California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) is not a fan of President Donald Trump (R). The two have sparred in many ways, and Newsom has recently taken to trolling on social media. When the President recently misspoke and identified Newsom as the President of the United States, the Governor jumped on the opportunity to “make some changes” to federal law. One of them was federal legalization of cannabis.
Be well everyone – we’ll see you next week!
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