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DCMJ 2018 Voter Guide

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ATTENTION DC VOTERS:
Near the end of last week’s DCMJ Planning Meeting #14, it was suggested that since we aren’t meeting until the day after the November 6 midterm election, DCMJ community should put forward local candidate recommendations for DC voters.

For each of the offices that DC voters will choosing to elect either the incumbent or a challenger, we asked everyone at the meeting to put their thumbs up (endorse – vote for them!), thumbs sideways (neutral), or thumbs down (don’t vote for them). For some candidates there was no consensus, while other candidates DCMJ members were unanimous.

Below are the results:

Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton – THUMBS UP

With her leadership on cannabis reform in Congress, specifically her introduction of H.R. 6152, the “Sondra Battle Cannabis Fair Use Act” last summer, there was consensus that DC voters should re-elect Congresswoman Norton.

Mayor Bowser – THUMBS SIDEWAYS

While many in the room support her recent effort to stop police from arresting people for public consumption of cannabis, they were unhappy that she has allowed Police Chief Newsham to continue to go after popups. There was no consensus to give her thumbs up or thumbs down, so she received a thumbs sideways.

Chairman Phil Mendelson – THUMBS DOWN

Everyone in the room gave DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson a thumbs down due to his past decisions on making public consumption of cannabis a crime instead of a civil penalty and for supporting the ban on social clubs. On the ballot, voters can choose the Libertarian Party’s Ethan Bishop-Henchman instead of Mendelson. Everyone at the DCMJ meeting was aware that he’ll likely be re-elected. That doesn’t mean cannabis activists should not stopping pressuring the Chairman to listen to cannabis users when setting public policy. There will likely be more cannabis reform legislation before the DC Council in the next two years, and the DCMJ community will need to continue to be open to working with the powerful Chairman to ensure we get the fair laws.

At-Large Councilmember Elissa Silverman – THUMBS UP

DC voters have the opportunity to vote for TWO At-Large Councilmembers, not just one. While there are 6 different candidates running for the At-Large Councilmember positions, there was only consensus around incumbent Elissa Silverman. It was felt that she was a consistent independent voice on the DC Council and continues to support cannabis reform. If you vote just for her, your vote will be weighted more heavily than if you vote for her and another candidate. There was a lot of discussion about endorsing incumbent Anita Bonds but her flip-flop on the social club vote, showed us that she is indifferent to cannabis reform and not worthy of DCMJ member’s endorsement.

Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau – THUMBS UP

If you live in Ward 1, you will be able to vote for Councilmember Nadeau. She has been a long-time advocate for cannabis reform (even attending one of the DC Cannabis Campaign’s first fundraisers!) and her past votes showed us that she will continue to support cannabis reform.

Ward 3 Councilmember Cheh – THUMBS SIDEWAYS

If you live in Ward 3, you will be able to vote for either Councilmember Mary Cheh or independent candidate Petar Dimchev. Based on the Ward 3 voters at the meeting, we could not come to a consensus on supporting Mary Cheh, so she has received a Thumbs Sideways.

Ward 5 Councilmember McDuffie – THUMBS DOWN

If you live in Ward 5, you will have the option of choosing 1 of 4 candidates. Based on the Ward 5 voters at the meeting, they were unanimous in their position that voters should NOT vote for incumbent Councilmember McDuffie. Moreover, DCMJ members also suggested that Ward 5 voters should also NOT vote for Kathy Henderson. McDuffie and Henderson have long records of being against common sense cannabis reform, so voters should consider voting for either Joyce Robinson Paul or Amone Banks.

Ward 6 Councilmember Allen – THUMBS UP

If you live in Ward 6, you have the option voting for Republican Michael Bekeska or incumbent Democrat Charles Allen. The consensus of the DCMJ members at last week’s meeting was to support incumbent Charles Allen.

Attorney General Karl Racine – THUMBS UP

Based on his support for Initiative #71 and his continued support for cannabis reform, DCMJ members were in consensus for keeping AG Racine in office.

Shadow Senator Michael Brown – THUMBS UP

Based on his support for Initiative #7q and his continued support for cannabis reform, DCMJ members were in consensus for keeping Shadow Rep. Brown in office in order to continue to lobby for DC Statehood.

Shadow Representative Franklin Garcia – THUMBS UP

Based on his support for Initiative #71 and his continued support for cannabis reform, DCMJ members were in consensus for keeping Shadow Rep. Garcia in office in order to continue to lobby for DC Statehood.

IF’s…

If you are not registered to vote, DC has same day voter registration, so you’ll be able to vote on election day. Click here to find your polling place. You should have received the DC  voter guide in the mail, but we hope the guide above is helpful in choosing the candidates who support cannabis reform.

If you want to get involved in any local campaigns, click here to download the DCBOE candidate list, which has the contact information for all the campaigns.

If want to help get Rep. Andy Harris out of office in the 1st District of Maryland, there will be a caravan leaving DC on Monday, November 5 to ensure DCMJ members are able to work the polls on the Eastern Shore of Maryland bright & early on election day. Please email Kris@MDMJ.org to get involved!

Joint Statement from MDMJ & DCMJ on the #OverdoseHarris Demonstration

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Over two weeks ago, we announced our plans for two demonstrations at Congressman Andy Harris’ offices to highlight his callous attitude toward cannabis as a treatment for opioid addiction. As the sponsor of the budget rider that prevents the Council of the District of Columbia from legislating on cannabis reform, we have, on numerous occasions, both in person and in writing, sought a meeting with Congressman Harris to discuss why he continues to tyrannically stymy common-sense cannabis reforms in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and across the nation.  Harris has refused to meet with medical cannabis patients because he takes money from the pharmaceutical industry that would rather push pills than a plant.

At approximately 12 noon today, Tuesday, October 2, cannabis reform advocates gathered outside of Congressman Harris’ District of Columbia office at 1533 Longworth House Office Building. As advocates were making their way toward the Congressman’s door, he was walking down the hallway in the opposite direction and made a bee-line towards his office. DCMJ volunteer, Rachel Ramone Donlan, whom Congressman Harris promised he would talk to in person about cannabis reform, asked to speak with the Congressman and followed him to one of the entrances to his office. Instead of acknowledging her and fulfilling the promise he gave to her at his August 10 town hall meeting in Salisbury, Maryland, Congressman Harris slammed the door on her face. She tried to open the door only to find Harris had locked the door. Ms. Donlan then walked toward the other entrance to Congressman Harris’ office and his staff slammed the door on her leg. Ms. Donlan is disabled and suffers Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which is a genetic connective tissue disorder that causes her intense pain. She consumes medical cannabis in order to stay off addictive prescription drugs. After the door caught her foot, she proceeded to go on with the planned demonstration and used her medical cannabis in the hallway to help mitigate the physical pain caused by Harris and his staff.

At no time was there any assault on the Congressman, rather the Congressman and his staff assaulted cannabis reform advocates instead of attempting to hear why they were at his office in the first place.  Any bruising to the Congressman’s wrists was self-inflicted and not caused by Ms. Donlan. She weighs approximately 90 pounds and is about 5 feet tall and is spending tonight in jail due to Harris’ continued callous attitude toward cannabis reform.

This was first published on the DCMJ Twitter account

Haunted by HUD: A Cannabis Gifting Demonstration

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Join us for Haunted by HUD: A Cannabis Gifting DemonstrationUnder the draconian rules of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, adults receiving government aid can be evicted for using or possessing cannabis inside their home. From California to Colorado to Massachusetts to Washington, DC, adults should not be forced to live in fear! Your Home should be a safe place!

Join us this Halloween for a lunchtime demonstration at HUD’s HQ in Washington, DC and help us shed some light on one of the scariest issues facing cannabis consumers around the United States!

WHO: Cannabis Reform Advocates, Housing Assistance Recipients, Concerned Citizens
WHAT: Haunted by HUD: A Cannabis Gifting Demonstration
WHERE: 451 7th Street SW, Washington, DC
WHEN: 11:30am to 1:30pm, October 31, 2017
WHY: It’s scary to believe that in 2017 the Department of Housing and Urban Development thinks recipients of housing aid should be evicted for the use or possession of cannabis inside their homes. As more states legalize cannabis for adult & medical use, recipients of aid should not have to fear the HUD boogyman any longer!

Please RSVP on Facebook

We will be planning this upcoming demonstration this Thursday evening at the DCMJ Planning Meeting #14 in the basement meeting room of the Southwest Neighborhood Library. Please join us!

Weed for Warriors Rally – Dupont Circle 5/8

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Rally with the Weed for Warriors Project on Monday, May 8!
Join the Weed for Warriors Project this coming Monday at noon in Dupont Circle for a rally concerning Johns Hopkins University’s about face on researching medical cannabis for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

For those of you not aware, the federal government needlessly restricts research on cannabis and when they finally allow research to go forward, they provide researchers with horrible quality cannabis.

When the principle investigator, Dr. Sue Sisley, came forward in March to highlight the fact that the government’s substandard cannabis contained mold, Johns Hopkins University cancelled the research study.

This Monday we’re rallying at Dupont Circle and then marching down Massachusetts Ave. to the Johns Hopkins University’s DC campus to demand the DEA-approved research go forward!  Please join us!

WHO: Veterans with Weed For Warriors, DCMJ members, and advocates for cannabis research
WHAT: Rally & March for PTSD research!
WHERE: Dupont Circle, Washington, DC
WHEN: High Noon, May 8, 2017
WHY: Veterans are currently prohibited from speaking with their VA doctors about using cannabis to combat PTSD. Without the scientific research backing up the anecdotal claims of thousands of veterans that cannabis helps with PTSD, our veterans will not be able to find relief they deserve. Thus, we are demanding that Johns Hopkins University restart the DEA-approved research study immediately!

Please take a moment and invite your friends on Facebook!  

We can’t let important scientific research be silenced!

1st Annual Congressional Joint Session on 4/20

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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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📸 We Need Your Photos For The New DCMJ Filter Tip Flyers!

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Upload your photos for the next DCMJ Filter Tip flyer!

We need your photos!

One of our favorite DCMJ outreach materials is the perforated filter tip flyer (see above & below). Each flyer breaks into 24 pieces of card stock that can be rolled up to make filters for your joints.

If you got a free joint at the Inaugural #Trump420, there is a very good chance your joint had one of the DCMJ filter tips at the end. In the last three years we’ve printed up & handed out five different editions and we’re ready to make the 2017 edition!

Can you help us out? Do you have photos from your home grow, of your cured buds, or photos from different DCMJ demonstrations that took place in 2016? Please pick out a couple of your favorite photos and upload them to our Dropbox!

Please only upload high-resolution photos that you took yourself and are not copyrighted. Feel free to include a text file if you want to provide more information about your photos, like strain name or the name of the demonstration the photo was taken at.

Once we have completed the new DCMJ filter tip flyer, we’ll share it in an upcoming email and have them available at upcoming Planning Meetings for you to use and give away to your friends.  We consider these flyers to be the annual DCMJ yearbook where you’ll see faces you’ve seen and gotten to know through DCMJ.  Please take a moment an upload your favorite photos!

Upload your photos for the next DCMJ Filter Tip flyer!

DC-MD-VA Cannabis Coalition to Host Inaugural Awards Event

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NEWS ADVISORY
April 9, 2014

CONTACT: Adam Eidinger 202-744-2671
Adam@DCMJ.org

DC-MD-VA Cannabis Coalition to Host Inaugural Awards Event

“After Prohibition: Investigating What Comes Next for the Economy, Public Safety, and America’s Families”

WASHINGTON, DC – The newly formed DC-MD-VA Cannabis Coalition (DMVCC) will host an evening awards event Thursday, April 17, that brings together concerned citizens, policy reform advocates, and legislators to celebrate recent successes on cannabis reforms in the Mid-Atlantic region. The DMVCC will present “vanguard” awards recognizing the contributions of three individuals who have been instrumental in reforming marijuana laws locally. Among the award recipients is DC Councilmember Tommy Wells. Keynote speaker, author and journalist Doug Fine, will round out the evening with a rollicking and inspiring presentation culled from his years of investigative research into the policies, economics, and sustainability of cannabis and hemp.

WHO: Councilmember Tommy Wells, The DC Cannabis Campaign, Virginia NORML, and Maryland NORML
WHAT: DC-MD-VA Cannabis Coalition Inaugural Awards Event
WHEN: 7:30 pm, Thursday, April 17, 2014
WHERE: Busboys and Poets (5th and K), 1025 5th St. NW, Washington, DC
WHY: To change the DMV region’s outdated marijuana laws

“It takes a lot of courage to change marijuana laws in America, and we need to honor elected officials who have taken bold steps,” says Adam Eidinger, Chair of the DC Cannabis Campaign. “We will award DC Councilmember Tommy Wells for his work on ending marijuana arrests. His decriminalization law prevents thousands of District resident from needlessly being arrested for small amounts of marijuana.” Introduced in July 2013, the law was passed by the DC Council in early March and was transmitted to Congress in April. Wells’ decriminalization of marijuana legislation makes possession of up to one ounce of marijuana a $25 fine instead of an arrest and has spurred the entire region to look at their marijuana laws.

About the keynote speaker: After 40 years and more than $1 trillion in taxpayer money, the end of cannabis prohibition is near. According to Gallup, 58 percent of Americans now favor marijuana legalization, and an increasing number of states are pressuring the federal government to follow their lead as America’s longest war winds down. Bestselling investigative journalist Doug Fine, author of Too High to Fail and Hemp Bound, will tell stories and present images from the front lines in North America, South America, and Europe.

About the DC Cannabis Campaign: Organized in 2013, the DC Cannabis Campaign is composed of residents who are working to change out-dated marijuana laws in the District of Columbia. The campaign submitted a ballot initiative in January to the DC Board of Elections and will soon be collecting signatures to place Initiative 71 on November’s general election ballot. The voter initiative will allow District residents to grow up to three mature plants in their homes and possess up to two ounces of marijuana without fear of arrest or fine.

Tickets to the awards event can be purchased here.

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