While Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser had yet to sign the bill as of this writing, she has shown her support for the sale of marijuana to adults in the past, introducing the Safe Cannabis Sales Act of 2021 last year.
DC Mayor Signs Marijuana Decriminalization Bill
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Laws and ordinances restricting employers from making cannabis testing as a condition of employment already exist in several states and localities, including Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia, and Rhode Island. These laws vary in the extent of protections afforded to employees. Some laws, like those in Nevada and Philadelphia, apply only to pre-employment testing. However, several jurisdictions effectively restrict almost all cannabis testing, similar to the bill pending mayoral approval in D.C. This is a rapidly changing area of law, and we expect more jurisdictions to enact similar laws restricting or prohibiting employer testing. Employers should also explore training supervisors on valid methods to observe employee impairment by valid methods other than drug testing. Employers should review their policies for compliance with existing laws and monitor the jurisdictions where they are located for further developments.
The bill was introduced by council members Mary M. Cheh and Kenyan R. McDuffie on June 27 and passed by a unanimous vote of the council the following day. Supporters of the measure maintain that the ordinance will simplify the process for patients to gain access to medical marijuana, particularly for those who have challenges visiting a doctor. Out of thousands of physicians practicing in Washington, DC, only 620 are registered to issue medical cannabis recommendations. Early this year, the city council passed a similar measure that allowed adults 65 and older to self-certify for medical marijuana card eligibility, but that ordinance expired on May 1.
City Council passes a measure to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana. The bill is introduced by then-City Councilman Jim Kenney, who argues that marijuana arrests unfairly impact Black people.In 2013, 83% of the 4,336 people arrested for marijuana possession were Black. The bill becomes law on Oct. 20.
Between 1973 and 1977, however, eleven states decriminalized marijuana possession. In January 1977, President Jimmy Carter was inaugurated on a campaign platform that included marijuana decriminalization. In October 1977, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to decriminalize possession of up to an ounce of marijuana for personal use.
Gov. John Bel Edwards signs medical marijuana legislation into law on Thursday, May 19, 2015. At right is Katie Corkern, a medical marijuana advocate trying to obtain the drug for her son Connor, at her right, who suffers from daily seizures.
"This is one of those bills I believe will have a positive impact on the people that need it the most," Edwards said. "The state of Louisiana should not interpose itself between doctors and patients when the doctors believe they have a patient who will benefit from medical marijuana."
Thursday was also an important day for state Sen. Fred Mills, R-Parks, who authored a bill last year that sought to provide the first framework for medical marijuana since it was first legalized in 1978. The bill last year was stymied by a last-minute change that required doctors to prescribe medical marijuana rather than "recommend" it. Doctors are disallowed from prescribing Schedule I drugs like marijuana.
State Rep. Helena Moreno, D-New Orleans, also recalled the first time she heard about the possibility of bringing a bill on medical marijuana. It was when Mills met her to ask her to carry the bill in the House of Representatives. 2ff7e9595c
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