This election cycle, it’s clear most people agree that cannabis legalization is a no-brainer. Its acceptance has gone far beyond bipartisanship, with four states predicted to legalize it this November.
Despite legalization, lawmakers have still managed to restrict cannabis use in some pretty bizarre ways. With Midterms around the corner, we’ve rounded up a few of the silliest cannabis laws in place today. Here are a few:
1. Cannabis at the Capital
Washington D.C. may have legalized cannabis, but be sure not to cross industry lines: you cannot legally sell medical cannabis in any location that offers auto repair or sells gasoline. Even weirder, while Washington D.C. is currently the most robust and thriving cannabis industry on the east coast, it is illegal to buy and sell cannabis recreationally. These restrictions have led to a robust “gifting” market in which you make a purchase of an unrelated item and are “gifted” a cannabis product alongside it. According to CNBC, the growing gift market has included items such as “stickers, single ticket raffles, shirts, cups, music, and even motivational speeches.”
2. Don’t get lit in Connecticut
If you are looking for medicinal cannabis in Connecticut, don’t expect the light to guide your way: illuminated signs are forbidden for the state’s dispensaries. In fact, any external signage is restricted to “a single sign no larger than sixteen inches in height by eighteen inches in width.” We wonder if they’ll stick to their aversion to neon when recreational sales become legal.
3. Phonebook marketing
No Mad Men wannabes will be vying for a cannabis advertising position in Delaware. The state has limited any and all cannabis advertising to directories and phone books. We’d like to say old media and new industry were never meant to be, but it is likely this law has made it difficult for older and less tech-savvy medical patients to explore the full range of their options. Oddly, Delaware laws make no mention of the most popular and effective form of advertising in cannabis to date: social media.
4. The forbidden fruit of fonts
Although Oregon and Nevada have both legalized cannabis for recreational use, they have strict format guidelines for fonts. In Oregon, the only font allowed for dispensary signage is bold, 80-point Times New Roman or Arial. Nevada prefers San Serif font, but will give you a little leeway as long as you don’t exceed two fonts per advertisement. All labeling in Nevada must also be 8 point font and never italicized.
5. Not up to sniff
Because Washington and California require all cannabis to be individually pre-packaged and sealed before they enter a retailer’s premises, it is illegal to smell cannabis strains before you buy them. In other states, it is common to “smell test” cannabis so you get a sense of the terpene profile, aroma and taste of the strain you are about to purchase. While both states offer “sniff jars” for this purpose, many consumers complain the sniff jars go stale too quickly and are an inaccurate representation of the actual product they purchase.
Of course, while we have a long way to go in revoking every nonsensical law regarding cannabis, we can all agree we are heading in the right direction. To keep the changes going, be sure to vote this Midterm election.
