In mid-December 2014, Congress passed an omnibus spending bill (dubbed “CRomnibus” – a portmanteau of omnibus and resolution in progress[20][21]) that ended the federal ban on medical marijuana, but also included a legislative jumper targeting DC`s Initiative 71. [22] The last wording of the amendment prohibited the use of funds to “enact laws, rules, or regulations to impose penalties related to the possession, use, or distribution of Schedule I substances under the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 801 et seq.) or any tetrahydrocannabinol derivative for recreational purposes.” [23] [24] In particular, the final wording used only the word “adopted” instead of “adopted or executed”. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton said that “Democratic budget negotiators told her that the omission was made intentionally to give city leaders a chance to argue that the district was only implementing the measure, not enacting it.” [25] Norton reiterated this point in a Question and Answer section of Initiative 71 on its House website. [26] A coalition of progressive groups in Washington has launched a campaign to decriminalize all drugs and push for a harm reduction approach that includes monitored websites where people could use drugs. Initiative 71 was a voting initiative passed by voters in Washington, D.C. that legalized the recreational use of cannabis. The short title of the initiative was the Legalization of Minimum Possession of Marijuana for Personal Use Act, 2014. [17] The measure was adopted on 4.
It was adopted by 64.87% of voters in November 2014 and entered into force on 26th February 2015. [18] [19] Under the legalization measure, which went into effect in 2015, individuals over the age of 21 in Washington DC are allowed to possess up to two ounces of marijuana, grow up to six plants of three mature marijuana plants and three immature plants at home, and give up to one ounce of marijuana to another person. Drug paraphernalia, such as bongs, have also been legalized. The legalization measure allows the sale of marijuana through licensed retailers, but due to opposition from Congress, no regulatory system has been put in place. Public consumption of marijuana remains illegal. [4] Next month, the Commission will hold its first hearing on comprehensive legislation to legalize the sale of marijuana, a measure that itself addresses concerns about who could benefit from the new industry, while also addressing past harms by proposing to eliminate existing marijuana-related crimes. Lawmakers in Washington will discuss legalizing the sale of marijuana later this year, and activists are pushing for them to consider legalizing all drugs more broadly. Suzannah Hoover/for WAMU/DCist Hide the caption The amendment was appended to the Omnibus Consolidated and Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act and made it illegal to “conduct a voting initiative to legalize or otherwise reduce penalties for the possession, use or distribution of a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act or a tetrahydrocannabinol derivative.” Congress only lifted the ban in 2009. Decriminalizing D.C. Poverty The campaign was officially launched Thursday outside the Wilson Building, where activists from groups including the Drug Policy Alliance, HIPS, Black Lives Matter DC and the DC Center for the LGBT Community said they were urging lawmakers to rethink how the city deals with drugs, drug use and treatment. In the 2020 election, residents also passed the Entheogenic Plants and Fungi Policy Act, also known as Initiative 81.
The directive does not legalize psychedelic drugs (also known as entheogens), but makes their monitoring the “lowest priority” of local law enforcement. The campaign builds on previous efforts to legalize the possession and personal use of marijuana, as well as last year`s voters` ballot initiative, which made enforcing laws against “magic” mushrooms and other psychedelic drugs the lowest priority for policing, and a bill passed by the D.C. Council that decriminalized drug paraphernalia. And it comes as drug overdoses — most of them linked to the opioid epidemic — have increased across the region during the pandemic. In recent years, overdose deaths in Washington DC have disproportionately affected black men. Initiative 59 was a voter approval initiative in Washington, D.C. in 1998 to legalize medical cannabis. The short title of the initiative was “1998 Marijuana Legalization for Medical Treatment Initiative.” [6] Although the initiative passed with 69% of the vote in November 1998, its implementation was delayed by the passage of the Barr Amendment by Congress, which prohibited DC from using its funds to support the program.
This change delayed the launch of the medical marijuana program until it was effectively repealed in 2009, with DC`s first customer legally purchasing medical cannabis from a district pharmacy in 2013. [7] You will receive a referral number as part of the application process. With this in hand, you then submit a patient request to the Ministry of Health. You will need a reference number from the doctor you have consulted. The application also includes a head photo, photo identification and two forms of proof of residence. There is also a $100 filing fee, although low-income patients may receive a reduced fee of $25. If you have been charged with a drug offence, you may be worried about your future and do not know how to proceed. However, it`s important to understand how decriminalization in DC drug cases can affect your legal status. Employers must “evaluate medical marijuana to treat a disability in the same manner they would treat the lawful use of a controlled substance prescribed by a licensed physician or taken under the supervision of a licensed physician,” the bill states. On February 24, 2015, Reps. Jason Chaffetz and Mark Meadows sent a letter to Bowser urging them not to move forward with Initiative 71.
[30] [31] Republicans in Congress, including Andy Harris, the author of the bus driver, have threatened the D.C. mayor and others involved in prison sentences, suggesting they could be prosecuted by the Justice Department under the Anti-Disability Act, which “imposes criminal penalties on government employees who knowingly spend public funds beyond their allocated budgets.” [2] Cannabis possession and home cultivation are legal for adults 21+. “We want the DC Council to lift criminal penalties for personal drug possession. We want to see a concerted effort to address the collateral consequences associated with drug-related convictions,” Queen Adesuyi, head of policy at the Drug Policy Alliance, said in an interview with DCist/WAMU. “And we want a radical investment in building our public health and harm reduction infrastructure to protect the health of people who use drugs in the district.” The Medical Marijuana Expansion Emergency Amendment Act of 2014 states that any condition that a doctor believes could benefit from medical marijuana is eligible. Building on the successful passage of marijuana decriminalization earlier this year, Drug Policy Action is working to make Washington DC the nation`s next legal jurisdiction for marijuana. Public consumption remains illegal in Washington, DC. The Metropolitan Police Department states on its website that using marijuana in any form — or even holding or carrying a lit roll of paper or other lighted smoking devices filled with marijuana — is illegal in any public space. The first step to getting a card in Washington, D.C. is to see a doctor, medical assistant, nurse or dentist.
These medical professionals can make recommendations to DC residents that allow them to legally purchase medical marijuana at district pharmacies. Patients can apply online through DC Health here. In 2019, DC began accepting medical marijuana cards from all other states. However, marijuana remains banned on federal lands. The federal government owns about one-third of the land in Washington, D.C., which includes national parks like Rock Creek Park and the National Mall, military buildings, and government buildings. Because marijuana remains illegal nationwide, users can expect federal penalties if caught with marijuana in these areas. The legalization of recreational cannabis with the donation of one ounce of cannabis, as outlined in Initiative 71, has created a gift economy in which stores and businesses exchange cannabis for t-shirts or other items such as stickers, etc. that are actually purchased by customers, creating a commercial market associated with the sale of other items.
It is a largely unregulated grey market. [37] [38] [39] The Medical Marijuana Reciprocity Amendment Act of 2015, which went into effect in 2017, allowed patients in other jurisdictions with equivalent medical marijuana programs to use their cards at DC dispensaries. If passed, employers will have 60 days to inform their employees of their new rights under the law and whether they will be classified as safety-related workers. Congress tried to block the decriminalization of Washington by another driver. On June 25, 2014, House Republicans, led by Representative Andy Harris of Maryland, blocked funding for the DC bill. [11] The Harris Amendment prohibits the Washington government from spending funds on efforts to reduce sentences for Schedule I drug crimes. [15] Harris argued that the D.C. bill was “bad policy” that includes a $25 fine — a fraction of Maryland`s $100 fine. In response, activists launched a boycott of Maryland`s 1st District, Harris` constituency. [16] Medical marijuana registrations must be renewed annually, a communications official with the D.C.
Leafly Department of Health said via email.