Congressional Seed-In

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, March 8, 2018

CONTACT:
ADAM EIDINGER (202)744-2671
Adam@DCMJ.org

“Congressional Seed-In” Announced for April 2, 2019

Citizens to Lawfully Give Viable Cannabis Seeds to Members of Congress to Demand Federal Legislation to Grow Cannabis At Home

No Current Legislation in Congress Explicitly Legalizes Home Cultivation as Corporate Lobby Grab Leaves Many Americans No Way Grow

WASHINGTON, DC – On Tuesday, April 2, 2019, cannabis reform advocates from DC Marijuana Justice (“DCMJ”), Maryland Marijuana Justice (“MDMJ”), and Virginia Marijuana Justice (“VAMJ”) will descend on Capitol Hill to lawfully give away cannabis seeds to members of Congress and their staff, 21 years of age and older. The action is to call for cannabis consumer-friendly legislation that permits adults to grow cannabis in the comfort and privacy of their homes & backyards.

“As full legalization & descheduling of cannabis approaches cannabis consumers & medical patients must be able to travel throughout the United States without fear of arrest, detainment, or harassment,” says Dawn Lee-Carty, Founder of Speak Life, a mom and founder of Speak Life, an organization dedicated to educating parents and legislators on the benefits of cannabis. Ms. Lee-Carty came to advocate the use of CBD, a non-psychoactive chemical compound found in cannabis, and THC after pharmaceuticals failed to adequately treat her epileptic 11 year old daughter. Due to the federal prohibitions on cannabis, Ms. Lee-Carty cannot travel with her daughters medicine.

After voters in the District of Columbia approved Initiative 71 in November 2014 and Congress approved the law in February 2015, all adults aged 21 years of age or older can legally grow & possess small amounts cannabis in the District of Columbia. With the annual spring planting taking place after the last frost in late April, the “Congressional Seed-In” aims to help members of Congress and their staff lawfully start their cannabis gardens in the District of Columbia. Outdoor cannabis requires cannabis to be grown in cycle with the seasons, so a timely spring planting is integral to the success of the crop. However, not every American is afforded the right to grow their own cannabis. Instead many Americans are forced to buy their cannabis from dispensaries, which costs as much as 10 times more than home grown cannabis.

“The only legislation we see in the 116th Congress moving is backed by lobbyists to deal with business interests,” says Adam Eidinger, Proposer of Initiative 71 . “We’re going up to the Hill to encourage members of Congress and their staff that they represent more cannabis consumers than cannabis businesses. We want to legally grow cannabis as a basic right and this is frankly more important to me than access to banks or tax reform for huge marijuana businesses,” adds Edinger.

WHO: Members of DCMJ, MDMJ and VAMJ, expert growers, and cannabis reform activists
WHAT: “Congressional Seed-In” – A Seed Giveaway for members of Congress and their staff
WHEN: April 2, 2019, 11:00 am until 4:20 pm – Ending Rally Near Capitol Steps on East side
WHERE: All Congressional Offices in Washington, DC
WHY: Citizens demand meaningful legislation that fully ends prohibition cannabis cultivation for every adult and allows the movement of cannabis between all States.

“I don’t want cannabis grown using nuclear or coal power. I want it grown using natural sunlight. The current system of using costly warehouses to grow cannabis plants under synthetic light using synthetic chemicals is bad for consumers and bad for the environment. There is a better way,” says Ms. Lee-Carty, who currently grows using LED technology, but would prefer to grow her daughter’s cannabis outdoors..

“The age of utilizing expensive warehouses to grow cannabis is a relic of prohibition and DCMJ & MDMJ believe that cannabis should return to the fields from which it was formerly grown,” says MDMJ co-founder Kris Furnish. “Congress and state leaders have been standing in the way of cannabis consumer friendly reform, while poll after poll show that the American public fully supports the full legalization of cannabis, including home grow.

ABOUT DCMJ
Since its founding in 2013, DCMJ has lead the nation in creative and high-profile cannabis reform activism. After introducing and passing ballot initiative 71, which legalized the possession and cultivation of cannabis in the District of Columbia, DCMJ organized two large seed giveaways that provided all adults the means to grow cannabis for themselves. Since then DCMJ has deployed giant 51’ inflatable joints outside the White House, the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Times Square in New York City, the 2016 Presidential Debates, and Boston’s Freedom Rally, as well as distributing over 10,000 joints of District of Columbia home grown cannabis at the Inauguration of President Donald Trump to most recently, attempting to distribute 1,227 joints at the congressional “Joint Session” in 2017, where U.S. Capitol Police unlawfully arrested seven DCMJ activists. All charges were dropped the following day. The “Congressional Seed-In” is DCMJ’s fourth annual “Reschedule 4/20,” day of action to highlight the need for meaningful cannabis reform legislation in the United States. In 2018 and 2019, aligned organizations MDMJ & VAMJ were formed to advocate for cannabis reform in Maryland and Virginia.

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CLICK HERE TO RSVP ON FACEBOOK!

Apology Letter To Rep. Andy Harris

Dear Congressman Andy Harris,

After you and your staff rudely slammed your office doors on DC Marijuana Justice (“DCMJ”), Maryland Marijuana Justice (“MDMJ”) and myself, I believed that I should write a letter of apology to you and some of those affected by our recent visit to your congressional office in Washington, DC. on October 2, 2018.

I’m sorry to hear you might have hurt your wrist slamming the door on me. I’m a 46-years-old, 90 lb, handicapped, Christian, single mother that has a lifelong reputation for being a non-violent, peaceful advocate. For you to think I’m a threat to you or your office is inconceivable and ironic. It was never my intention to make you feel intimidated.

I’m sorry that formal requests, to schedule an appointment with your office have been denied for years. You told me at the town hall meeting in Salisbury, MD on August 10th that you would talk to me “offline.” I believed you, and I’m sorry I did. I thought you’d want me to enter your office and have an honest discussion. At no time did I imagine that I wouldn’t be welcome in a congressional office and now, thanks to you, I cannot visit offices unless I get an appointment. I now know it’s impossible.

I’m sorry for your soul Congressman, I pray for it daily. You fail to have the decency and ability to listen to those whose lives you affect with your staunch opposition to cannabis. Your continued prohibitionist position on common-sense drug reform hurts the poor, sick, elderly, abused, students, and our valiant veterans in states where cannabis is already legal, Have you forgotten the Hippocratic Oath? You can improve the lives of medical patients immediately if you’d only evolve on this issue.

I’m sorry that you receive money from “Big Pharma,” As a doctor, you refuse to look at the overwhelming evidence that cannabis is a healing plant. You pretend to play both sides by expressing feigned interest in research to delay legalization when research already exists. You should listen to the people, like myself, that the plant has helped. The plant is not dangerous, rather it’s the antiquated laws you continue to support that makes it dangerous.

I’m sorry for my friends at DCMJ and MDMJ because you called us “violent protesters” on your congressional website. I know none of us ever are violent. The only violence endured came from you and your staff in the form a slammed door without any explanation.

I’m sorry that so many of our friends have died in the opiate crisis waiting for cannabis to become legal and accepted by doctors like yourself. I’m sorry that you won’t help disadvantaged communities by ending the racist war on drugs. I’m sorry my friends have gone to jail for a plant. The courts are still overflowing with cases of simple marijuana possession and consumption.

I’m sorry for the women of the United States. In this moment of #MeToo and after Dr. Ford’s recent testimony, that a member of Congress assumes that an assertive woman is the same as being physically aggressive or violent. It’s true, I’m a confident and assertive woman and I won’t apologize for that. I’m sorry you fear me so very much you resorted to calling the U.S. Capitol Police.

I’m sorry that, like many women after being assaulted by a man, you attempted to put all of the blame on me and not hold yourself accountable for your actions. To defame my friends and me is typical of the toxic masculinity that you and many members of Congress exude. However, don’t forget I still have two years to file an assault claim against you. It might take me that long to decide if I should put myself through that process, again. Hopefully, by then the Equal Rights Amendment will be ratified by the final state needed for the full passage and I will be equally protected under the law.

You should apologize, Congressman. Not just for slamming the doors on us but for all of the pain and suffering at your hands. Are you sorry for your part in the opiate epidemic caused by your hostility toward cannabis reform that could otherwise save lives? I doubt that.

Finally, I’m sorry you may not want to hear from the people like myself but you will on election day. I’m not the only strong-minded woman in the cannabis community. and we will not be silenced.

Sincerely,

RachelRamone Donlan

 


Ms. Donlan can be reached at Rachel@DCMJ.org or on Twitter @RachelRamone

Congresswoman Norton introduces “Sondra Battle Cannabis Fair Use Act”

Nikolas Schiller, Sondra Battle, Adam Eidinger with Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton as she signs the Marijuana in Federally Assisted Housing Parity Act of 2018 aka the Sondra Battle Cannabis Fair Use Act
Exciting News!

We are pleased to share with you some cannabis reform history in the making. Today DC’s Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton introduced the “Marijuana in Federally Assisted Housing Parity Act of 2018,” aka the “Sondra Battle Cannabis Fair Use Act,” which will prevent cannabis users living in federally assisted housing, in states with medical or adult use cannabis laws, from being evicted for possessing, consuming, or growing cannabis.

This federal legislation would not have been introduced had it not been for Ward 7 resident Sondra Battle coming to a DCMJ Planning Meeting and sharing with us the trials and tribulations she was forced to endure to live in a mold-free home. Currently, Americans in states with medical cannabis or adult use laws can be evicted if they are caught using, possessing, or growing cannabis. As a fibromyalgia patient, who instead of using opiates to control her pain opted for medical cannabis, Sondra’s property management company used the knowledge of her medical cannabis use as a means to not remove the toxic black mold in her home. “If you tell on us, we’ll get you evicted for your medical cannabis!”

Most cannabis reform legislation you read about concerns cannabis business interests and doesn’t effect the people you hear the least about- the poorest of our society. Today’s legislation is groundbreaking because it has the ability to affect millions of Americans and ensure they can choose a safer alternative to opiates. When this legislation is passed, it will ensure that low-income cannabis users are not treated like second class citizens any longer. Sondra helped open our eyes to why it is important that DCMJ continues to fight for all cannabis users, growers, and their families.

A huge thank you goes out to Congresswoman Norton, her staff (Bradley Truding, Benjamin Fritsch, and Trent Holbrook) for helping draft and craft this model legislation, and most importantly, to Sondra Battle, who helped draw attention to an issue hidden from so many citizens eyes.

+ Click here to read Congresswoman Norton’s Press Release

+ Click here to read Adam Eidinger’s Washington Post Op-Ed The D.C. residents left out of the ‘District of Cannabis’ that was published nearly one year ago

1st Annual Congressional Joint Session on 4/20

Join DCMJ for the 1st Annual Congressional Joint Session on 4/20

Join District of Columbia residents with DCMJ for the 1st Annual Congressional Joint Session!

We are giving away TWO FREE joints to all members of Congress, congressional staff, interns, support staff, and credentialed journalists who are 21 years of age and in possession of a congressional ID.

WHO: Supporters of congressional cannabis reform and those with valid congressional IDs who are 21 years of age or older.
WHAT: 1st Annual Congressional Joint Session, a free cannabis giveaway
WHERE: On non-federal land near the corner of 1st St. & Constitution Ave. NE
WHEN: High Noon until 4:20pm, Thursday, April 20
WHY: We want members of Congress, congressional staff, interns, support staff, and credentialed journalists to legally obtain cannabis so they will support removing cannabis entirely from the Controlled Substances Act. Moreover, we are demanding Congress remove the DC rider that prevents the DC government changing it’s cannabis laws.

Click here to RSVP on Facebook


***Media Advisory and Release***

Contact: Press@DCMJ.org

DCMJ’s 1st Annual Congressional #JointSession,
A Free Cannabis Giveaway for Capitol Hill Staff and Media

DCMJ to Call on Congress to Remove DC Rider Preventing the District’s Government from Sensibly Regulating Adult-Use Stores and Cafes

WASHINGTON, DC — On Thursday, April 20th, DCMJ, the advocacy and educational organization that spearheaded Initiative 71, which legalized cannabis in the District of Columbia, will lead the 1st Annual Congressional #JointSession—a free cannabis giveaway—for members of Congress, Congressional staffers, credentialed journalists, support staff, interns, and 21-or-older Capitol Hill workers with valid Congressional identification.

Organized by DCMJ, DC residents will lawfully give away at least 1,000 free cannabis legally home-grown joints, and call on Speaker Ryan and Congress to reauthorize the Rohrabacher–Farr amendment, which prohibits the Department of Justice and the Drug Enforcement Agency from using funds to step in or interfere with DC and state medical cannabis laws. The measure expires April 28, 2017. To date, the amendment has protected nearly two-thirds of country from federal legal intervention. However, the Rohrabacher–Farr amendment must be approved by Congress every year in the federal budget. Additionally, DCMJ will also call on Speaker Ryan and Congress to remove the DC budget rider that prevents the DC government from regulating adult-use stores and cafes.

“Americans don’t want a crackdown on legal cannabis—they want Congress to end cannabis prohibition once and for all,” said Adam Eidinger, co-founder of DCMJ. “Giving adults access to cannabis and individuals and small business owners legal protection in all 50 states is what the American people have been asking for—just take one look at last year’s election. It is time Congress remove cannabis from its Schedule I classification—and act. On 420, we’ll celebrate adults making informed choices based on facts, rather than propaganda. Our demonstration will begin to lift the special-interest smokescreen giving Congress cover and preventing responsible cannabis laws from being enacted at the federal level.”

WHAT: The 1st Annual Congressional #JointSession, A Free Cannabis Giveaway – Two free joints per valid Congressional ID
WHO: DCMJ volunteers and legalization advocates – Supporters of congressional cannabis reform and those with valid Congressional IDs who are 21 years of age or older.
WHEN: Thursday, April 20, 2017 High Noon to 6:20pm
WHERE: On non-federal land near the corner of First Street and Constitution Avenue, NE, Washington, DC

*Note: Media interested in videotaping DCMJ rolling joints for the congressional giveaway should send an email to Press@DCMJ.org to schedule an appointment.

Nikolas Schiller, co-founder of DCMJ, added, “It would be a grave mistake to ignore the will of the American people, and for Congress to continue to remain action-less, or to arbitrarily cherry pick when and where to respect DC and states rights. Cannabis consumers across America create tens of thousands of state-legal jobs and valuable economic activity and taxes that support vital programs in states and cities. Congress and the Trump Administration would be better served getting familiar with facts instead of using scare-tactics and out-dated talking points that have been debunked by science. We need to know if Speaker Ryan will truly work to make America great again? The number of cannabis reform bills before the 115th Congress is at an all time high, but the lack of Congressional action is no laughing matter. A federal solution is needed now.”

DCMJ will also 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- legal medical cannabis laws. DCMJ further calls on the Appropriations Committee amend or remove the budget rider restricting the District of Columbia government from regulating adult-use stores and cafes.

To learn more about DCMJ visit http://dcmj.org; follow DCMJ on Twitter at @DCMJ2014; like DCMJ on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/dcmj2014/.

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#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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PRESS RELEASE: DC Residents Raise DC Liberty Pole on National Mall to Demand Equality

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, April 15, 2015

CONTACT:
ADAM EIDINGER (202)744-2671
NIKOLAS SCHILLER (202)805-1603

DC Residents Raise DC Liberty Pole on National Mall to Demand Equality

Nonstop Vigil to Hold Site without Permit Until April 20

WASHINGTON, DC – Early Wednesday morning, brave District of Columbia residents and supporters from Maryland and Virginia converged at 3rd Street on the National Mall near the U.S. Capitol to erect the 42-foot “DC Liberty Pole” to call attention to the lack of political equality for the 650,000 American citizens who live in DC. Choosing the day federal taxes are due and wearing red Phrygian caps— symbolic hats historically worn by freed Roman slaves and American colonists resisting British tyranny during the American Revolution, and pictorially shown on the seal of the U.S. Senate, U.S. Army, and numerous state seals—the disenfranchised denizens of the nation’s capital began a six-day, nonstop unpermitted DC Democracy Vigil. They seek to highlight why taxation without representation is antithetical to American values and to call on Congress to pass legislation that grants DC residents the same rights as Americans of the 50 states.

Angered by the unethical actions of members of Congress who paternalistically meddle in the lives of District of Columbia residents, the event will feature workshops and speak-outs to call attention to the plight of the only Americans who suffer taxation without representation. Unlike citizens of the 50 states who pay their taxes on April 15 and whose elected officials represent constituents’ interests in the federal legislature, the residents of the District of Columbia are denied the right to elect representatives in Congress despite being obliged to pay both federal and “state” taxes.

“Consent of the governed is a republican value that members of Congress have forgotten, and we’re here to remind the 535 members of Congress that we do not consent to taxation without representation,” says DC Cannabis Campaign Chairman, Adam Eidinger.

Over the years, numerous international organizations from the United Nations to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe have called on the U.S. government to grant political rights to DC residents. The U.S. is the only country in the developed world that denies inhabitants of the capital city the same political rights enjoyed by those who live elsewhere in the country. DC residents fight and die defending freedom abroad but are denied the right to elect Senators and Representatives who send them into harm’s way.

In the 214 years that the District of Columbia has existed, Congress has sent two DC-related constitutional amendments to the states for ratification. One became the 23rd amendment, which allows DC residents to vote for the President. The second constitutional amendment, which would have provided DC residents with representation in Congress, was not ratified by enough states and expired in 1985. Activists contend that if Congress were to send another DC-related constitutional amendment to the States, it would be ratified.

“During the Revolutionary War colonists donned Phrygian caps and constructed Liberty Poles as acts of defiance against the British government’s unethical taxation of colonies without representation in British parliament, and we are here today to harken back to that original era of U.S. liberty, to do exactly as those brave Americans did, with this vigil,” says Adam Eidinger.

The citizens will use the space around the Liberty Pole as an autonomous free-speech zone and will hold daily open mics to grant those attending the vigil the opportunity to speak about why taxation without representation must end immediately in the District of Columbia. Organizers also brought a sewing machine to assist in the fabrication of Phrygian caps for visitors and decorations for the Liberty Pole.
The DC Democracy Vigil is scheduled to conclude on Monday, April 20, but may end in arrests before this date if the National Park Service objects to the vigil.
Organizers are using the hashtag #FreeDC in social media to share updates about the DC Democracy Vigil.

More information about the DC Cannabis Campaign, which successfully introduced and passed Ballot Initiative 71, can be found at www.DCMJ.org. The political committee will be disbanded later this month and convert to DCMJ, a DC-based community group.

More About Liberty Poles
A Liberty Pole is a tall wooden pole, often used as a type of flagstaff, planted in the ground, and surmounted by a Phrygian cap. The symbol originated in the immediate aftermath of the assassination of Roman dictator Julius Caesar by a group of Rome’s Senators in 44 BC. Liberty poles were often erected in town squares in the years before and during the American Revolution. During this time, often violent struggles over liberty poles erected by the Sons of Liberty in New York City raged for 10 years. The poles were periodically destroyed by the British, only to be replaced by the Sons of Liberty with new ones. The conflict lasted from the repeal of the Stamp Act in 1766 until the revolutionary New York Provincial Congress came to power in 1775. When an ensign was raised on a liberty pole, it was a calling for the Sons of Liberty or townspeople to meet and vent or express their views regarding British rule. The pole was known to be a symbol of dissent against Great Britain. During the Whiskey Rebellion, locals in western Pennsylvania would erect poles along the roads or in town centers as a protest against the federal government’s tax on distilled spirits, and evoke the spirit embodied by the liberty poles of decades earlier. The image of Liberty holding a pole topped by a Phrygian cap appears on many mid- and late-19th-century U.S. silver coins. Source: Wikipedia

More About Phrygian Caps
The Phrygian (pronounced FRI-GEE-AN) cap is a soft conical cap with the top pulled forward, associated in antiquity with the inhabitants of Phrygia, a region of central Anatolia. In early modern Europe it came to signify freedom and the pursuit of liberty through a confusion with the pileus, the felt cap of manumitted (emancipated) slaves of ancient Rome. Accordingly, the Phrygian cap is sometimes called a Liberty Cap and in artistic representations it signifies freedom and the pursuit of liberty.

In the years just prior to the American Revolutionary War of independence from Great Britain, the symbol of republicanism and anti-monarchial sentiment reappeared in the United States as headgear of Columbia, who in turn was visualized as a goddess-like female national personification of the United States and of Liberty herself. The cap reappears in association with Columbia in the early years of the republic, for example on the obverse of the 1785 Immune Columbia pattern coin, which shows the goddess with a helmet seated on a globe holding in a right hand a furled American flag topped by the liberty cap. The cap’s last appearance on circulating coinage was the Walking Liberty Half Dollar, which was minted through 1947 (and reused on the current bullion American Silver Eagle).

The U.S. Army has, since 1778, utilized a “War Office Seal” in which the motto “This We’ll Defend” is displayed directly over a Phrygian cap on an upturned sword. It also appears on the state flags of West Virginia (as part of its official seal), New Jersey, and New York, as well as the official seal of the United States Senate, the state of Iowa, the state of North Carolina and on the reverse side of the Seal of Virginia. Internationally, the Phrygian cap is used on the coat of arms of Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, El Salvador, Haiti, and Nicaragua. Source: Wikipedia

The DC Cannabis Campaign is the official campaign committee for Ballot Initiative 71. The campaign is a project of residents from across the District of Columbia, Drug Policy Action, and Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps.

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Volunteer at the DC Democracy Vigil

At the beginning of this year we sought volunteers to staff a DC Democracy Vigil. Had Congress moved to overturn Initiative 71, we planned to stage at 24 hour a day vigil to highlight our discontent. But after our meeting last week with Representative Jason Chaffetz’s staff, where we offered him a chance to reset relations with DC residents, we came away thinking Congressional leaders are not going to lift a finger for us! We have no choice but to escalate protests NOW to ruin their fake "freedom" brand and see them exposed for what they are: Oppressors.

Join dozens of I-71 volunteers who will start a 5-day 24/7 vigil from April 15 (tax day) to April 20 but we want thousands to join in the effort to shame our oppressors. Please RSVP in form below. The vigil location is a secret until April 15, so RSVP below to get the details.

Our DC Democracy Vigil is less about cannabis freedom and more about securing the same political freedoms as Americans who live in states have, like the right to elect Senators and Representatives, and to take part amending the constitution. The kerfuffle surrounding I-71 is just one facet of a larger struggle for genuine equality for District of Columbia residents. A status quo of no vote in Congress in the year 2015 is simply outrageous! We honestly believe that this is one of the most important civil rights struggles we can fix with enough united pressure from citizens like you.

We chose tax day, April 15, because DC’s license plates proclaim "Taxation Without Representation" and one of the most intrinsic tenants of freedom is the consent of the taxed, which we are denied. April 16 is DC Emancipation Day and many people have the day off. It’s a perfect time come protest with us!

NOT ENOUGH REASONS TO PROTEST?

Although DC citizens fight in wars abroad, we have no say in matters of war and peace at home yet we are literally putting our lives on the line. Shouldn’t we sacrifice as much here for Democracy as we are willing to sacrifice in other countries?

DC residents pay more in taxes than any other state in America, but we are denied the right to choose how our tax dollars are spent. No other industrialized nation in the world denies the residents of its national capital the right to participate in the country’s national legislature, except the United States.

With your help, this 214-year-old constitutional catch-22 will come to an end. Help put the spotlight on the District of Columbia so folks who live outside of the DMV will understand and demand change from the Republican-controlled Congress that cares little for DC, except when they want to force their will on us.

Chairmans Chaffetz & Rogers and Senator Cruz don’t deserve to be lobbied any longer by us, they deserve protests and to be given a 21st century tar and feathering in social media. They deserve public shaming, and as much disruption as possible to highlight their continued denial of our basic human rights.

So don’t just read this, take action! Join the DC Democracy Vigil and help construct a Liberty Pole with us. Then join the 24/7 open mic to FREE DC and engage those who are unaware of our plight. Please RSVP below so we can figure out how many people we can expect over the 132-hour protest. Location and instructions for the Vigil will be emailed to those who RSVP only.

You already made history by participating in the legalization marijuana despite Congressional harassment. Now let’s step up our efforts to free DC by getting fully equal to our brothers and sisters of the 50 United States.

See you April 15-20!


If you are planning to attend, but can’t volunteer for a shift, please RSVP on Facebook and invite all your friends!

PRESS RELEASE: Marijuana Prohibition Ends in DC as Initiative 71 Takes Effect

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, February 26, 2015

CONTACT: ZACK PESAVENTO
(202) 420-1065
ZACK@DCMJ.ORG

Marijuana Prohibition Ends in DC as Initiative 71 Takes Effect

Ballot Initiative Clears Congressional Review Period

WASHINGTON, DC – The DC Cannabis Campaign marked the end of marijuana prohibition in the District of Columbia today as Initiative 71 completed a mandatory congressional review period.

“The marijuana prohibitionists were no match for our campaign’s strategy of legalization without commercialization,” said DC Cannabis Campaign chair Adam Eidinger, who formally proposed Initiative 71. “The sun and the rain are still free, and now our seeds are too.”

Initiative 71, which legalizes the possession and cultivation of marijuana for personal consumption, was enacted with over 70% of the popular vote on November 4, 2014. The new law was transmitted to Congress on January 13, 2015 for a mandatory review period of thirty legislative days.

Congressional leaders inserted a provision in an appropriations bill in December that sought to block the District of Columbia from spending funds on marijuana legalization. Although the measure could not retroactively stop the enactment of Initiative 71, according to a recent letter by DC Attorney General Karl Racine, it would likely prohibit District officials from taking further action related to marijuana policy. The DC Council is moving forward with its own separate legislation to tax and regulate the sale of marijuana.

DC Mayor Muriel Bowser rejected what she called “bullying” tactics by Rep. Jason Chaffetz yesterday. The Utah congressman has threatened Bowser and other members of the District government with arrest for vowing to uphold the new law.

The DC Cannabis Campaign is the official campaign committee for Ballot Initiative 71. The campaign is a project of residents from across the District of Columbia, Drug Policy Action, and Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps.

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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MARIJUANA IN WASHINGTON, DC

Now that we enacted Ballot Initiative 71 on November 4, 2014, many people still have questions about the status of marijuana in Washington, DC. Here’s the latest:

Ballot Initiative 71

  • Ballot Initiative 71 was certified on December 3, 2014 and transferred to Congress on Tuesday, January 13, 2015
  • Ballot Initiative 71 became law at 12:01am, Thursday, February 26, 2015
  • Ballot Initiative 71 allows DC residents 21 and older the right to:
    • Possess up to two ounces of marijuana outside one’s home
    • Grow up to 3 mature marijuana plants inside one’s home
    • Allows growers to keep all the marijuana grown at home
    • Give, but not sell, up to one ounce of marijuana to another adult
  • DOES NOT allow anyone to sell marijuana because the Home Rule Act prevented us from putting a “tax & regulate” question in the ballot
  • DOES NOT allow public consumption of marijuana. You can still get arrested for smoking a joint on the sidewalk!

Decriminalization of Marijuana

  • The decriminalization of marijuana possession legislation passed out of the District Council on March 4, 2014 and after Congressional review became DC law on July 17, 2014
  • The decriminalization of marijuana possession DOES NOT allow public consumption of marijuana. Public use can result in an arrest and confiscation of your marijuana
  • Under the decriminalization of marijuana possession law, the smell of marijuana DOES NOT give police officers probable cause for search & seizure of your marijuana
  • If caught with up to an ounce of marijuana, the police will take your marijuana and paraphernalia, and write you a $25 ticket
  • Decriminalization IS NOT Legalization!

Medical Marijuana

  • Medical marijuana IS LEGAL in Washington, DC but only for patients that have registered with the DC Department of Health
  • There are currently over 4,000 medical cannabis patients in DC who purchase their taxed & regulated cannabis from 3 dispensaries in Washington, DC

What about Federal Land in Washington, DC?

Approximately 21% of the land in Washington, DC is managed by the federal government, which is governed by federal laws, not local DC laws. This means Ballot Initiative 71, the decriminalization of marijuana law, and the medical marijuana law are not in effect on federal lands in Washington, DC. Therefore, possession of marijuana on federal lands such as Rock Creek Park, the National Mall, around the Dupont Circle fountain, and Malcolm X Park is still an arrestable offense.


Please join us as we work toward implementing Ballot Initiative 71:

PRESS RELEASE: DC Cannabis Campaign Undeterred Despite Congressional Attempt to Override Election

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, December 12, 2014

CONTACT: ZACK PESAVENTO
(202) 420-1065
ZACK@DCMJ.ORG

DC Cannabis Campaign Undeterred Despite Congressional Attempt to Override Election

WASHINGTON, DC – The DC Cannabis Campaign castigated congressional leaders today for advancing a federal spending bill that threatens a marijuana legalization ballot initiative in the District of Columbia.

“We’re going to fight back against anyone who tries to overturn our election or roll back our rights,” said Adam Eidinger, who chairs the DC Cannabis Campaign and formally proposed Initiative 71. “The people of the District of Columbia have ended marijuana prohibition and we won’t be turning back.”

The ambiguous wording of the congressional rider has left its interpretation open to debate. Although congressional Republicans argue that the rider is intended to overturn the election, others say that a plain reading leaves the law in place.

“Under the alternative reading, Initiative 71 has already been enacted, is self-executing, that is no further D.C. funds or action are needed, and will take effect after the expiration of the congressional layover period,” according to a press release from the office of DC Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton.

Although President Barack Obama spoke against the congressional rider through a spokesman Thursday, he was reported to have personally lobbied members to vote for the bill. Since the appropriations rider primarily targets “Schedule I” controlled substances, the administration could still support Initiative 71’s future by exercising the federal government’s power to reclassify marijuana.

Initiative 71 passed on November 4, 2014, with 70% voting in favor of the measure to legalize the limited possession and cultivation of marijuana.

The DC Cannabis Campaign is the official campaign committee for Ballot Initiative 71. The campaign is a project of residents from across the District of Columbia, Drug Policy Action, and Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps.

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