D.C. Council Approves Bill to Eliminate Medical Marijuana License Caps, Promote Equity, Provide Tax Relief and More
Washington, D.C. Lawmakers accredited a invoice on Tuesday that would make fundamental changes to the clinical marijuana application in the nation’s capital—which include with the aid of doing away with hashish business licensing caps, supplying tax comfort to operators, further promoting social fairness and growing new regulated commercial enterprise categories along with on-web page consumption centers and cannabis cooking instructions.
It would additionally provide a pathway for cutting-edge “gifting” operators that promote non-cannabis objects in exchange for “loose” marijuana merchandise to go into the licensed marketplace, while empowering officers to crack down on individuals who retain to operate illegally.
The complete D.C. Council exceeded the legislation, which became amended by way of the Committee of the Whole earlier inside the day, in a 7-four vote. It should still obtain a second reading vote with the aid of the Council at a later date earlier than heading to the mayor’s desk.
The measure faced a few pushback from lawmakers who guide reform however sense that the trendy version incorporates modifications that might negatively impact social equity goals while giving current scientific cannabis dispensaries oversized prioritization.
The Medical Cannabis Amendment Act might additionally codify that adults can self-certify as scientific marijuana sufferers. The bill became carried by means of Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) on behalf of Mayor Muriel Bowser (D).
The Committee of the Whole released a memo in advance of the assembly that says the ultra-modern print “keeps a majority of the changes and additions made by” the Committee on Business and Economic Development (CBED), which passed the degree ultimate week. It previously superior out of a separate panel as well.
However, the today’s model makes “major modifications in 3 areas: the definition of social equity applicant, putting aside all new licenses for social equity applicants for three years, and the timeline for enforcement in opposition to unlicensed establishments,” the brand new memo says.
Lawmakers have long gone back and forth over the way to maximum effectively revise D.C.’s licensing guidelines, with the as-delivered version of the legislation proposing a better cap on dispensaries than is authorized beneath modern regulation, with an amended version alternatively in search of a complete removal of the business license caps.
As passed by way of the entire Council, the bill would still dispose of the cap, even as also giving regulators discretion to set limits.
A change made within the previous committee worries tax coverage for the hashish enterprise. The revised invoice carries language that asserts marijuana businesses can deduct taxes beneath neighborhood statute that they’re prohibited from making below the federal Internal Revenue Services (IRS) code called 280E.
Additionally, the legislation codifies that human beings 21 and older can self-certify as medical hashish patients who should buy marijuana from dispensaries without receiving a doctor’s recommendation.
Under the brief self-certification regulation that the mayor signed this 12 months, scientific marijuana affected person registrations have continued to surge—with this system including approximately 1,500 more sufferers in September alone.
Hosting guests this holiday season? Temp med cannabis patient registrations avail for non-DC residents. Self-certification permitted. https://t.co/3HPl5VZ5us
— DCGov_ABRA (@DCGov_ABRA) December 6, 2022