#Reschedule420 on 4/24 at the U.S. Capitol

DCMJ Statement on Arrests at Smoke-In on Capitol Steps

WASHINGTON, D.C. — DCMJ, the advocacy and educational organization that spearheaded Initiative 71, issued the following statement regarding #Reschedule420 Smoke-In at the Capitol on April 24, 2017.

Statement from Nikolas Schiller, co-founder of DCMJ:
Cannabis legalization is a bipartisan issue that Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Speaker Ryan, and Congress can no longer afford to ignore. There is overwhelming support for ending cannabis prohibition, and 71% of Americans are against a federal crackdown.

This is a peaceful and responsible movement that is demanding Congress to stop cherry picking when to respect states rights. We want Congress to do their job and respect the will of the voters.

Unfortunately, the reality is that sometimes our laws don’t match what the American people want. We have many examples of this throughout our nation’s history. It is time Congress ends unjust laws that ‘criminalize’ tens of thousands every year. However, these injustices cannot stand.

We will continue our work and we not be silenced. It’s high time, Congress get in line with the overwhelming number of citizens who support legalizing a plant scientifically far less harmful than alcohol.


Support for Ending Cannabis Prohibition Has Never Been Higher
According to an October 2016 Gallup poll, American support for legalizing cannabis is at 60 percent, the highest it’s been in 47 years, and a 2015 Harris poll found a staggering 81 percent of Americans support legalization of cannabis for medical use. Seventy-one percent of Americans across party lines and age groups oppose a federal crackdown on state-legal programs. Today, there are 29 states and the District of Columbia that have chosen to create regulated cannabis programs, including four of the five most populated states in the nation. More than 20 percent of the U.S. population lives in states that allow adults 21 and older to legally consume cannabis, and more than 60 percent of the population lives in a state where medical cannabis access is legal.

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In case you missed it, at yesterday’s White House Press Briefing spokesman Sean Spicer finally answered a question about cannabis. His response was not good. Please watch it for yourself.

It’s Why We’re Rescheduling 420 Again This Year!

New date & time: Gather at HIGH NOON, on Monday, April 24, 2017 with mass civil disobedience at 4:20pm
New location: The east side of the U.S. Capitol

This is a National Call to Action!
No More Waiting!! Congress Deschedule Cannabis NOW!

While other marijuana advocacy groups are issuing statements, we are calling on them to join us in a national demonstration on April 24, 2017. The powers that be ignore our statements and petitions but they cannot ignore us when we gather in large numbers. Therefore we need every cannabis supporter to join us at the Capitol! 

We are urging those of you reading this who live outside of DC, to reschedule your calendar, come to DC, and smoke out the office of your member of Congress. Locally, we have our eyes set on a few members of Congress that need to smell the change we desire.

Congress is not listening to us and they need to be reminded that America’s cannabis laws need to be changed NOW. Not with some lame bandaid of a law that lets states do their own thing or rescheduling that prohibits plant access, but a comprehensive law that allows you to take your cannabis in a car from DC to California without fear of arrest.

Cannabis needs to be fully removed from the Controlled Substances Act, not pushed down to Schedule II into the hands of Big Pharma!

PLEASE NOTE: Possession of cannabis on the Capitol grounds is not legal. Consuming cannabis anywhere in DC outside of a home is not legal either. But sitting quietly while the Trump administration rolls back our freedoms is not something we plan to do. We need to be loud and proud!

The Inaugural #Trump420 showed that cannabis reform is not a partisan issue. There are millions of Trump supporters who support the full legalization of cannabis, and we are encouraging people of all political stripes to join this national mobilization!

Yesterday’s poll showed a majority of Americans want cannabis reform. But unless we loudly demand it, we are going to get stuck with another shitty law that benefits corporations and not the American people.

We expect arrests to take place on Reschedule420 this year, but we know that our cause is just. We know that the best way to make America great again is not enforcing the outdated Controlled Substances Act, but providing Americans the liberty to choose cannabis for relaxation, enjoyment, and medicine.

Moreover, we can argue that ALL CANNABIS USE IS MEDICAL. If you use it to relax, that is medical. If you use it to put yourself into a better mood, that is medical. The argument that only some sick people can use cannabis while other adults are not sick enough to deserve it is deeply flawed. Many people use cannabis in order to not get sick!

Please share this link with your friends and RSVP on Facebook.

NEWS ADVISORY

Contact: Press@DCMJ.org

Smoke-In on Capitol Steps

Legalization Advocates to Lead #Reschedule420 Demonstration to Call on Congress to End the War on Cannabis, Uphold Rohrabacher–Farr Amendment, and Respect DC and States Rights

WASHINGTON, DC – DCMJ, the organization that spearheaded Initiative 71, which legalized cannabis in the District of Columbia, will lead a #Reschedule420 Smoke-In at the Capitol on Monday, April 24th. The demonstration, which is scheduled to take place four days after DCMJ’s 1st Annual Congressional #JointSession—a free cannabis giveaway—will urge Congress to support Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2017 (H.R. 1227), which would put an end to the federal prohibition of cannabis and enable states to decide their own path regarding cannabis policy. DCMJ will also call on Congress to uphold the Rohrabacher–Farr amendment, which prohibits the Department of Justice and the Drug Enforcement Agency from using funds to step in or interfere with state medical cannabis laws. The demonstration will place a much-needed spotlight on the Congressional inaction and ‘delay’ in addressing our nation’s ineffective drug policies. Additionally, DCMJ will call on Speaker Ryan and Congress to remove the DC budget rider that prevents the DC government from sensibly regulating adult-use stores and cafes.

WHAT: #Reschedule420 Smoke-In on Capitol Steps (House Side)
WHO: DCMJ volunteers and cannabis legalization advocates
WHEN: Monday, April 24, 2017 High noon to 4:20 p.m.
WHERE: Eastside of Capitol on the House steps side of Capitol, Washington, D.C.
*Note: Media interested in videotaping DCMJ rolling joints for the congressional giveaway should send an email to Press@DCMJ.org to schedule an appointment.

“Congress and Speaker Ryan can’t afford to ignore the vast majority of Americans, who want to end cannabis prohibition—so we are headed to Capitol Hill to finally have our issues heard,” said Adam Eidinger, co-founder of DMCJ. “Congressional inaction and leaving harmful laws on the books isn’t anyway to run a government—it is irresponsible. Arbitrarily respecting states rights and walking all over DC’s isn’t setting at the bar very high either. Speaker Ryan and others members of Congress need to stop hiding behind the special-interest smokescreen preventing responsible cannabis laws from being enacted. If these members of Congress ask themselves, who has the most to lose from ending the war on cannabis—it isn’t the American people.”

Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2017 (H.R. 1227)
DCMJ will request that Speaker Ryan and members of Congress support the Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2017 (H.R. 1227) proposed by Virginia Rep. Tom Garrett (R) and co-sponsored by Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (D), which would remove cannabis from a Schedule I classification under the Controlled Substances Act.

DCMJ will ask lawmakers to entirely remove cannabis, a plant far less harmful than alcohol and tobacco, from a Schedule I classification under the Controlled Substances Act. Today, Congressional inaction has left tens of thousands of individuals incarcerated, stripped millions of Americans of their right to vote, left otherwise law-abiding citizens with burdensome criminal records, and patients & veterans without access to alternative life-saving treatments that have been known to improve overall quality of life.

Rohrabacher–Farr Amendment
DCMJ will request that Congress reaffirm the Rohrabacher–Farr amendment, which prohibits the Department of Justice and the Drug Enforcement Agency from using funds to step in or interfere with state medical cannabis laws. The amendment has protected nearly two-thirds of the country and cannabis consumers from federal legal intervention. However, the Rohrabacher–Farr amendment must be approved by Congress every year in the federal budget. DCMJ will request that the amendment is upheld under the new Congressional budget.

Protect DC and States Rights
In November 2014, DCMJ-backed Initiative 71 passed by 70 percent of DC voters. Even before Initiative 71 passed, the Council of the District of Columbia proposed a framework, which was approved to regulate the legal sale and taxation of cannabis, which would have enable DC to sensibly regulate adult-use cannabis. However, Representative Andy Harris (R-Md.)—who has long opposed DC’s independence and unsuccessfully worked to block DC’s decriminalization of cannabis—worked to sneak in a ‘rider’ as part of a deal to avoid a government shutdown. The Harris rider has prevented the DC government from spending any of the District’s locally-raised funds to regulate adult-use stores and cafes. This has resulted in the loss of millions of tax dollars, and potentially thousands of jobs.

High Personal Costs and A Waste of Tax Dollars
While some states have implemented responsible cannabis laws, others have decriminalized possession of small amounts of cannabis, and other states still make cannabis possession a misdemeanor or even a felony. Data shows that current our laws are enforced in racially biased ways. Coupled with enforcement issues and a system that coerces guilty pleas, the consequences can be devastating for individuals charged with cannabis ‘crimes.’ The loss of a job, the right to vote, court fines, and other penalties, along with the stigma of a conviction when trying to secure work, an apartment or home or accessing benefits and other programs can be devastating to individuals and their families. Additionally, the cost to identify, arrest, prosecute, sentence, incarcerate, and supervise people for cannabis possession are tens of millions of tax dollars that could be better spent.

Support for Ending Cannabis Prohibition Has Never Been Higher
According to an October 2016 Gallup poll, American support for legalizing cannabis is at 60 percent, the highest it’s been in 47 years, and a 2015 Harris poll found a staggering 81 percent of Americans support legalization of cannabis for medical use. Seventy-one percent of Americans across party lines and age groups oppose a federal crackdown on state-legal programs. Today, there are 29 states and the District of Columbia that have chosen to create regulated cannabis programs, including four of the five most populated states in the nation. More than 20 percent of the U.S. population lives in states that allow adults 21 and older to legally consume cannabis, and more than 60 percent of the population lives in a state where medical cannabis access is legal.

To learn more about DCMJ visit DCMJ.org; follow DCMJ on Twitter at @DCMJ2014; like DCMJ on
Facebook
.

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#SmokeSessions

Do not let Senator Sessions undo the work we've done!

Now for some good news: On Election Day nearly all of the cannabis-related ballot initiatives passed! (Sorry Arizona, you got outspent!) The number of Americans living in states with legal cannabis grew from roughly 17 million to over 67 million & counting. Before the election President Obama said “that is not gonna be tenable” for such a large number of Americans to live under one set of cannabis laws and others live under a different set laws. The time is ripe for Congress to pass legislation that will end the government’s harassment and arrests of peaceful cannabis users and their families!

Now for the bad news: Donald Trump has tapped one of the biggest prohibitionists in Congress to be the Attorney General of the United States: Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions. Earlier this year the Alabama Senator said “good people don’t smoke marijuana,” and while we don’t know yet if he’ll respect states rights (or DC’s rights since we are not a state) or if he’ll do what John Ashcroft did as George W. Bush’s Attorney General: raid lawful cannabis grows, raid lawful dispensaries, and even go so far as crack down on paraphernalia vendors. Let’s not forget why Tommy Chong went to jail and why history may repeat itself if we don’t act NOW!

We can’t idly sit by and watch all the hard work we’ve done to legalize cannabis in DC be eroded by an out of touch prohibitionist!

We are calling for a series of demonstrations against Jeff Sessions between NOW and January 20, 2017.

JOIN US FOR THE #SMOKESESSIONS

Our first #SmokeSessions will be at his Congressional Office ( 326 Russell Senate Office Building ) Monday, November 28, at HIGH NOON!

ROLL CALL: Pot Advocates Protest Jeff Sessions’ AG Nomination
US NEWS & WORLD REPORT: Pot Activists Get Jeff Sessions Staff Meeting After Insinuating They Would Stage Office Smoke-in

— VIDEO:


Join us Thursday, December 8 for #ShowSessions

Our second #SmokeSessions was called #ShowSessions and took place at High Noon on Thursday, December 8.

US NEWS & WORLD REPORT: Activists Roll Joint, Offer Free Pot at Jeff Sessions Office as Threats Swirl to Legalization Framework
WASHINGTON TIMES: Legal weed advocates sneak marijuana into Jeff Sessions’ Senate office

#ShowSessions on Capitol Hill, Dec 08 2016 from Mike Flugennock



Our third #SmokeSessions will be at 8AM, Tuesday, January 3, 2017 outside Union Station. We’ll greet Senate staffers, interns, and members of Congress on their way to their first day in the 115th Congress. At 9:30am we’ll visit Senate offices and drop off suggested questions for Sessions’ confirmation hearing. Click here to RSVP on Facebook!

Our fourth #SmokeSessions will be at the Senate Judiciary Confirmation Hearing for Senator Sessions on Tuesday, January 10 and Wednesday, January 11. DCMJ is seeking volunteers to line sit outside the hearing room. Please fill out this Google Doc if you can help! You can also RSVP on Facebook for SmokeSessions #4 (aka HearSessions), but please note, an RSVP on Facebook does not get you inside the hearing room. The number of seats we get inside the hearing room is contingent on the number of line sitters who volunteer!

Our fifth #SmokeSessions will be at the Inauguration on January 20, 2017.


• We demand the President-Elect Trump make a clear and unequivocal statement that he supports the full-legalization of cannabis in every State. And to urge the 115th Congress to pass legislation that removes cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act within the first 100 days.

• Second, we demand Senator Sessions evolve on his position that cannabis users are not only good people, but they deserve the same treatment under the law as alcohol users, prescription drug users, and non-users.

• Third, we demand Senator Sessions allow the various States and the District of Columbia the authority to make their own laws concerning cannabis without Federal government intervention.

• Fourth, we demand Senator Sessions investigate the racial disparities of federal minimum sentencing guidelines and the associated costs to the American taxpayers for maintaining the largest prison system in the world.

Our demands call for a respect for personal liberty, States rights, and good governance.

Please help us out and spread the word by using the hashtag #SmokeSessions and inviting your friends to the upcoming demonstrations!

DCMJ Holiday Party

Come to the DCMJ Holiday Party!

Photo Credit

DCMJ Holiday Party / 2017 Planning Meeting

Join us from 7pm to 9pm, Thursday, December 8 at the Adams Morgan Mellow Mushroom (2436 18th St NW) for the DCMJ Holiday Party! We’ll provide free pizza to everyone who attends! We’ll also discuss the ongoing plans for #SmokeSessions actions as well as formulate DCMJ’s plans for 2017. We hope you will join us! Click here to RSVP!

Catharsis on the Mall: A Vigil for Healing – November 11-13, 2016

For the second year, DCMJ will be assisting in the production of Catharsis on the Mall. Scheduled to take place on Veteran’s Day weekend, November 11 to 13, on the National Mall in Washington, DC, Catharsis will feature speakers, workshops, interactive artwork, music, and feature the ceremonial burning of the Temple of Rebirth on the evening of Saturday, November 12.

Last year’s theme, “Healing from the Drug War,” was an amazing guide for the artwork. The theme creates connections and conversations when our diverse interests, knowledge, and backgrounds intersect. It is with great excitement we present the art theme for this year:

“The Journey Home”

Catharsis on the Mall’s 2016 art theme is dedicated to those who have experienced traumatic stress and their journey home.

We experience traumatic events that displace our mind, fracture our lives, and violate our perceptions. One moment can cause such upheaval, that it might seem impossible to return to that safe place we once knew. When our lives are ripped asunder, and we are left to pick up the pieces and stitch them back together, the struggle to recenter and find yourself feels insurmountable.

Traumatic stress was written in 760 BCE by a Greek poet, Homer, in the Iliad and the Odyssey, and studied by the historian Herodotus in 490 BCE. It has been present in every war ever fought. It has been present in every community that experiences rape, brutality, oppression, and systematic violence. Violence and disaster can have lasting impacts on body and mind.

Despite its timeless reach, it has widely been swept away and disregarded as a personal weakness, not a disease. The survivors of hellish trauma left to fend for themselves and often told they are “weak” or to “toughen up.” We have come along way.

Breaking through the cycles of anger, depression, and victimization with time, understanding, and forgiveness can lead us home to safe and comfortable place once more; a task infinitely easier to write than to perform. Communal experience and expression can lead to lasting transformation and peace. It can bring those who are ready home.

Home is where you feel at ease and safe. It is not pinned down to a physical location with a door and windows; it has no borders. It is a place where we take refuge and our base of operations. It is accepting and loving. We gather in this space.

We gather to celebrate wellness and reintegration. We gather for art and community. We gather to shake free from the stigmas of surviving. We gather to honor and support those who travel this road alongside us. We gather to end the silent suffering of millions. We are on the journey home together.


Participate

Catharsis on the Mall is built by the community, for the community. There will be lots of opportunities to participate at the vigil. We want your art to display, we want to hear your stories, and, most importantly, we need your help with building and running the event.


Click here to RSVP on Facebook!


Come to the Fundraiser on Thursday, November 3 at the Adams Morgan Mellow Mushroom!

Click here to RSVP on Facebook | Click here to buy advance tickets!


More details soon! Make sure you sign up for our e-mail list to find out the latest!

March of the Clones

Check out the video from March of the Clones:

“March Of The Clones” Washington DC 09.24.16 from Mike Flugennock on Vimeo.


For far too long the power of the Dark eeide (the DEA, the prison industrial complex, and ignorant members of Congress) has lead to the arrest and jailing of millions of Americans for non-violent drug offenses. As President Obama’s final days at the White House wind down, he needs to be reminded that he can be a Force of Good and end the failed war on drugs NOW.

On Saturday, September 24, 2016, we will gather at 2pm in Dupont Circle for a short rally, then at 3pm we will march 1 mile down Connecticut Ave. to the White House, and at 4:20pm we will engage in mass civil disobedience on Pennsylvania Ave.

We urge everyone to bring cannabis cuttings that weigh under an two ounces to create a sea of green to show President Obama that cannabis is a harmless plant not worthy of being in the Controlled Substances Act.

This is an unpermitted demonstration but is a first amendment protected activity. However, possession of cannabis on federal property is still a crime which we believe must end. Possessing cannabis in Dupont Circle and Lafayette Park (both National Parks) is unlawful and is an arrestable act of civil disobedience. Those wishing to participate but who do not wish to break law can join us on DC streets (Connecticut Ave. outside of Dupont Circle and Pennsylvania Ave. by way of 17th St.) without fear of arrest.

Please spread the word about the March of the Clones by inviting your friends on Facebook or tweeting about the demonstration using the hashtag #MarchOfTheClones !

RSVP for the Upcoming DCMJ Planning Meetings

Join us next month as we resume our regular, bi-weekly meetings!

DCMJ Planning Meeting #12

DATE: Wednesday, September 14, 2016
TIME: 7-8:30PM
LOCATION: SHAW NEIGHBORHOOD LIBRARY
ADDRESS: 1630 7th St NW, Washington, District of Columbia 20001
CLICK HERE TO RSVP ON FACEBOOK


DCMJ Planning Meeting #13

DATE: Wednesday, September 28, 2016
TIME: 7-8:30PM
LOCATION: MT. PLEASANT NEIGHBORHOOD LIBRARY
ADDRESS: 3162 Mount Pleasant St NW, Washington, District of Columbia 20010
CLICK HERE TO RSVP ON FACEBOOK

EMERGENCY LEGALIZATION DEMONSTRATION!

TONIGHT: EMERGENCY LEGALIZATION DEMONSTRATION AT THE WHITE HOUSE

Last month we said that when the DEA makes it’s decision on cannabis descheduling we’d either protest or celebrate at 4:20pm on the day of the announcement.

Today is the day. Unfortunately, it is extremely hot today, so we are moving the emergency demonstration to 8:20 PM THIS EVENING!

The Obama Administration’s DEA is TONE DEAF on cannabis reform, so tonight our demonstration will feature #ToneDeafKaraoke

We will poorly sing ballads of reform, like the Obama Administration’s DEA has poorly reformed America’s cannabis policies.

We will insult the ears of everyone at the White House like they are insulting every American that believes in rational drug policy.

Here we are, 43 years and millions of marijuana arrests later, and we being told that cannabis is still as dangerous as heroin. WHAT THE HELL?!?! The Obama Administration’s DEA thinks Americans should go to jail for a non-toxic plant. WE THINK OTHERWISE!

We are going to take our outrage, anger, shear annoyance and we are going to make some noise! If you don’t want to sing, bring your pots and pans so Malia will hear you!

We’ve heard rumors angry activists may even throw their cannabis plants plants, seeds, and even lit joints over the White House fence.

THAT IS NOT ALL….

We are calling for a mass-mobilization on Saturday, September 24, 2016.

We are not going to sit by and let Obama, Hillary, or Trump get a pass on cannabis reform!  The Time is NOW!

 


WHO: You, your friends, and everyone you forward this email to!
WHAT: EMERGENCY LEGALIZATION DEMONSTRATION AT THE WHITE HOUSE
WHEN: TONIGHT, Thursday, August 11, 2016 at 8:20pm
WHERE: 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC, North of the White House
WHY: The Obama Administration’s DEA is out of touch with the American people’s demands for cannabis reform and need to be told that cannabis should be removed entirely from the Controlled Substances Act NOW!

CLICK HERE SPREAD THE WORD ON FACEBOOK!

INVITE: The B.U.D. Summit — Saturday, August 20, 2016

The BUD Summit is taking place on Saturday, August 20

The Business, Understanding, & Development Summit (BUD Summit) is an effort to facilitate innovation and education for the cannabis industry on the East coast.

On August 20 in Washington, DC, we will capture the explosion of cannabis business, policy, culture, and investments made since the passing of legislation throughout the country.

The BUD Summit the evolution of the work accomplished with The Capitol CannaShow—the Mid­‐Atlantic’s largest and Washington, D.C.’s first cannabis conference and exposition. In the midst of an election year and with several state initiatives on ballots, there is no better place to capture the energy fueling the movement than mere blocks from our nation’s Capitol. New cannabis legislation is inevitable and we want to help you prepare to operate in this new environment.
The BUD Summit is taking place on Saturday, August 20

THE BUD SUMMIT WILL FEATURE:

Dynamic lectures on starting and growing a canna-business: (www.budsdc.com/agenda/)

  • An update from Adam Eidinger on the state of D.C. cannabis policy

  • A seminar with the industry’s most successful canna-business start-ups

  • Key-note speeches from Rick Simpson, Keith Stroup, and other industry leaders

  • A cultivation education center sponsored by DC Hydroponics

  • A 6,000 square foot exhibition area featuring top Canna-businesses nationwide

  • Advocacy opportunities with NORML, MPP, SSDP, Weed For Warriors, and more!

  • The Hot Box” is a unique opportunity for budding entrepreneurs to access accredited investors and accelerators

Take a monumental leap towards laying the foundation for the next generation of cannabis entrepreneurial success.

Visit www.BUDSDC.com more information and register now.


Don’t forget to RSVP & invite your friends on Facebook!