*By Jacqueline Corba*
Pop-up pot shops and cannabis confabs have been on the rise in the nation's capital, as would-be marijuana businesses try to find new ways to engage potential customers since Washington legalized the possession of small amounts of the drug three years ago.
Since the district's Initiative 71 went into effect in 2015, people 21 years and up can possess up to two ounces of pot. It's not O.K. to buy it or sell it, but people can transfer up to one ounce of the drug to another person of age ー a practice known as "gifting."
"We gift all the time, but a lot of people who want to get compensated, they have someone buy something else in exchange," said Lisa Scott, founder of the D.C. marijuana edible company Bud Appetit.
Cannabis businesses sell a legal item such as a t-shirt or jewelry, and then "gift" marijuana to the customer. Scott said in an interview with Cheddar's CannaBiz that these types of exchanges at private events are increasing as consumer demand is on the rise.
Authorities have grown less tolerant. During a pop-up party in January, almost two dozen vendors were arrested and charged with misdemeanor drug possession with the intent to distribute, according to [The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/in-the-murky-world-of-dc-marijuana-law-pop-up-markets-thrive/2018/03/26/84b9b2c6-2967-11e8-b79d-f3d931db7f68_story.html) . The charges were soon dropped by prosecutors.
"The laws are going to change, and eventually they will open the doors to more recreational sales and we want to be ready for when it happens," said Scott, who earlier this year started the D.C. Cannabis Business Association. "We don't want people with deep pockets and money from other states to come in and take our customers."
For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/understanding-the-murky-legal-landscape-for-cannabis-in-d-c).
California Governor Gavin Newsom is facing a recall election in about two weeks. Newsom was elected governor in 2018 with nearly 62% of the vote after working as lieutenant governor for eight years. However, his popularity took a hit after his handling of Covid-19 pandemic, although the White House is refusing to cite this as the direct reason for the September 14th recall election. There are 46 candidates running to be Newsom's replacement, and some are saying that California could end up electing a republican governor.
Jeremy White, California politics reporter and co-writer of daily California Playbook Newsletter at Politico, joined Cheddar Politics to discuss more about the election and its possible outcomes.
President Joe Biden says the United States will complete it's evacuation of Americans and others from Kabul, despite the attack that killed 12 U.S. service members and many Afghan civilians.
Crypto-enthusiasts are taking to social media to urge regular Afghans to adopt bitcoin in the face of considerable economic uncertainty.
The U.S. economy grew at a 6.6% annual rate last quarter, slightly faster than previously estimated, the government said Thursday in a report that pointed to a sustained consumer-led rebound from the pandemic recession.
The operator of the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant says it plans to build an undersea tunnel so that massive amounts of treated but still radioactive water can be released into the ocean about 1 kilometer (0.6 mile) away from the plant to avoid interference with local fishing.
Two suicide bombers and gunmen have targeted crowds of Afghans flocking to Kabul’s airport, in the waning days of a massive airlift that has drawn thousands of people seeking to flee the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.
The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose for the first time in five weeks even though the economy and job market have been recovering briskly from the coronavirus pandemic.
Secretary of State Blinken said Wednesday that as many as 1,500 Americans may be awaiting evacuation from Afghanistan.
Kathy Hochul became the first female governor of New York on Tuesday, vowing to bring new energy and urgency to solving immense challenges as she took over an administration criticized for inaction.
U.S military troops flying round the clock have managed their biggest day of airlifts out of Afghanistan by far.
