D.C. Officials Delay Inspections of Cannabis “Gifting” Shops
Last month, officials with the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA) announced plans to begin inspecting cannabis gifting shops in Washington, D.C. Shops would be inspected for permits and health code and licensing infractions. The process was to start after Labor Day, but the DCist reported that they are now putting the inspections on hold. According to the DCist, a source said that the issue is due to concerns from the Metropolitan Police Department regarding the specific protocols for the inspections. The inspections were intended to help crack down on the thriving “gray market” in the D.C. area.
Data Shows Blacks in Minnesota are Five Times More Likely Than Whites to be Arrested for Cannabis
According to recent data from the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Black residents of Minnesota are about five times more likely to be arrested for cannabis possession than white residents. It’s a disparity that raises concern, particularly as Black and white Minnesotans use cannabis at roughly the same rate. Marijuana is decriminalized in Minnesota, so some of the arrests included in the data are actually citations for simple possession. However, the citations can still be disruptive for individuals and can be used as a pretext for more harsh policing procedures.
The United Kingdom Rejects Bermuda’s Cannabis Legalization Bill
Bermuda is a territory of the United Kingdom, so any new law requires official approval by the U.K.-appointed governor of the island. This process is known as Royal Assent and is typically only a formality. Despite local approval from Bermuda’s House of Assembly, the United Kingdom rejected the island’s pending marijuana legalization law. The rejection was based on the idea that the law would breach “international obligations” set forth by the United Nations drug treaties. The House of Assembly passed the legislation in March of this year and sent the pending law to the governor, who then took the rare step of rejecting it. The law would have created a regulatory body to oversee legal cannabis sales for the island nation.
