Since Ballot Initiative 71 passed last November, the DC Cannabis Campaign has received many requests for cannabis seeds. We’ve said all along, “ask a friend, they might have some seeds to give you.” Still, we know that not everyone has friends who have seeds available to share.
To address this need, on the 1-month anniversary of Ballot Initiative 71 becoming law, the DC Cannabis Campaign is organizing two seed shares to facilitate personal home cultivation of cannabis permitted under the new law. This will be DC residents’ opportunity to share seeds with other adults and start down the path of legally growing your own cannabis in the safety and privacy of your home.
The first seed share will take place at Libertine, an absinthe bar in the Adams Morgan neighborhood from 5:30pm to 8:00pm on Thursday, March 26 and the second seed share will take place a few days later on Saturday, March 28 from 4:20pm to 7:00pm at the DC Cannabis Campaign Headquarters.
WHO: Cannabis Seed Sharers and Seed Seekers
WHAT: Spring Seed Share
WHERE: Libertine, 2435 18th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 and DC Cannabis Campaign Headquarters, 2448 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008
WHEN: 5:30pm to 8:00pm, Thursday, March 26, 2015 @ Libertine
4:20pm to 7:00pm, Saturday, March 28, 2015 @ DC Cannabis Campaign Headquarters
WHY: To provide DC residents with the seeds to legally grow cannabis at home
SEED SHARE RULES
1) No money may exchange hands while sharing seeds. This is a seed share, not seed sale! The law allows the gift of up to one ounce of cannabis, but not sales, trades, or any type of service in exchange for the cannabis. If we see money changing hands, you will be asked to leave. The only place money should be visible is when you buy something at Libertine’s bar. IMPORTANT: buying someone food or drink in exchange for cannabis is illegal!
2) Do not carry more than 2 ounces at anytime. The law allows you to carry no more than 2 ounces of cannabis (including seeds) outside your home. Do not leave the seed share with more than 2 ounces cannabis (including seeds) or you risk being arrested on your way home. If we see you with more than 2 ounces of cannabis (including seeds), you will be asked to leave.
3) Do not give away more than 1 ounce of seeds to any one person. The law allows a maximum gift of 1 ounce between adults. So if you showed up with 2 ounces of seeds, you could give 1 ounce to one person and 1 ounce to another person, or you can be truly generous and give a couple seeds to every person who attends the seed share. But under no circumstances, should anyone be giving away more than 1 ounce at any time.
4) All sharing must be between two adults aged 21 and older. You MUST bring your government issued ID. No exceptions. While we will accept out-of-state IDs, these events are intended for DC residents only.
5) Cannabis seeds must be in your possession at all times. You can bring a container to hold your bagged seeds, but you must stay with your seeds at all times and give them away to other adults. Unattended cannabis seeds may be given away.
6) The DC Cannabis Campaign will not share seeds. Rather each adult will share their seeds with another adult. There won’t be a seed donation jar because someone would need to be responsible for the jar being under 2 ounces at all times.
7) Be patient. We are instituting a maximum of 80 people inside the venues and as people leave, more people will be able to come inside to share their seeds. The law does not prevent adults from sharing seeds in public, so get to know others in the line.
8) Respect the venues. Having a lot of people inside to share seeds can result in damage to the venues. Please treat the venues as you would treat your own home. The seed shares are taking place on private property and the owners are being generous by allowing the seed shares to take place. Disruptive guests will be asked to leave.
9) No consuming of cannabis. No smoking or vaping is allowed. We ask that you go home or to a friend’s house to consume your cannabis. If you are found to be smoking or vaping cannabis, you will be asked to leave the premises.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Have cannabis seeds but not sure what strain the seed is? We expect many people to bring random cannabis seeds they’ve collected over the years to share with other adults. These seeds may still be viable, and more importantly, they can provide a first-time grower the opportunity to grow cannabis at home. Many people might write off these “unknown” seeds as worthless, but for someone who’s never grown cannabis before, they can help immensely. We suggest bagging these seeds up before you arrive and write the words “Unknown” on a piece of paper inside the bag or on the outside of the bag itself.
Have seeds AND you know what strain they are? You’re a cannabis superstar! Many growers would like to know the strain they are growing and your “known” seeds could be very helpful to many novice growers. We suggest bagging these up before you arrive and include the name of the strain on a piece of paper inside the bag or on the outside of the bag itself. We also suggest putting 6 or fewer “known” seeds in each bag in order to ensure as many people as possible have access to your seeds.
Don’t have any cannabis seeds at all? Please bring baggies or containers to put your newly-obtained seeds in. We also suggest bringing a pencil & paper to write down the names of different strains you obtain at the seed share. You may end up with a couple random seeds or you might end up with multiple different types of strains; it all depends on who shows up. Lastly, if you do not plan growing cannabis, we politely ask you to not come to these seed shares. We want the seeds that are shared to go to folks who want to grow this year.
What about clones? Clones are cuttings of live cannabis plants. Clones are popular among growers because the sex of the plant is known and the strain of the plant is also known. Unfortunately, Ballot Initiative 71 does not permit the sharing of clones. Therefore, the only way to legally create clones is to grow a plant from seed and make clones of that plant inside of your home. If you bring a clone to the seed share, you will be asked to leave.
TIMING
The Seed Shares will take place on the evenings of Thursday, March 26 and Saturday, March 28. We ask those with seeds to share to arrive 15 minutes early (5:15pm on Thursday & 4:05pm on Saturday).
KNOW THE LAW
We ask that everyone take a few minutes to re-read Ballot Initiative 71 so you know and can comply with the law.
These seed shares will be the campaign’s last public events. We anticipate winding down the campaign committee once the campaign’s debts have been paid off. In accordance with rule #1 (no money exchange), the campaign will not be taking any donations during the seed share, but you can still donate to the campaign on our website or by check.
We look forward to sharing seeds with you! Please RSVP!
