Due to Hurricane Florence, we are cancelling the DCMJ & MDMJ Beach Day! Please sign up for our email list to find out about our latest plans!
SAVE THE DATE!! >>>September 16
On the Sunday, September 16, we’re heading out to Ocean City for a sandy summit! We’re inviting all cannabis activists and candidates for elected office in the DDMV (that’s Delaware, DC, Maryland, and Virginia!) to join us for some sunshine, voter registration, music, swimming, and informal cannabis policy discussion.
Bring your finest cannabis schwag (no, not ditch weed, but tshirts, shorts, umbrellas, flags, etc. emblazoned with cannabis botany) and celebrate the end of summer and the coming end of cannabis prohibition. We should have more logistical information, like a Ride Share Board, ready soon. If you can drive from DC to OC and have a few extra spots in your car, you should help out!! Please take a moment and invite your friends to the DCMJ & MDMJ Beach Day!
During the first week of April 2018 join cannabis activists from around the country for three days of demonstrations. The “Bring It Home” Campaign aims to highlight the fact that even states with some forms of legalized cannabis, many adults cannot legally “Bring It Home”
MONDAY, APRIL 2 – Adults receiving government assistance for their housing can be evicted from their homes for the possession, use, and cultivation of cannabis. Although 29 states and the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have legalized some form of cannabis, as long as the federal government classifies cannabis as Schedule One substance, adults cannot use, possess, or grow cannabis if they receive any government assistance. This needs to change!
LOCATION = Your Nearest HUD Building
Not sure where they are? Check: https://www.hud.gov/program_o…/field_policy_mgt/localoffices
CONFIRMED DEMONSTRATIONS:
• Baltimore, MD – 3pm @ 417 E Fayette St
• Washington, DC – 12pm @ 451 7th St SW + 4pm @ 1133 North Capitol St NE
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TUESDAY, APRIL 3 – Veterans who valiantly served in the United States military are denied the right to obtain a recommendation for cannabis from the VA doctor. Although 30 states and the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have legalized some form of cannabis, as long as the federal government classifies cannabis as Schedule One substance, Veterans cannot use, possess, or grow cannabis at any VA Building. This needs to change!
LOCATION = Your Nearest VA Building
Not sure where they are? Check: https://www.va.gov/statedva.htm
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4 – Students in states with legalized cannabis can be kicked out of their dorms for cannabis. Worse, at many universities students have already paid for calendar year’s housing and if they are caught with cannabis they must find housing off-campus and do not get their money back from the university. Although 30 states and the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have legalized some form of cannabis, as long as the federal government classifies cannabis as Schedule One substance, students cannot use, possess, or grow cannabis at any and could be ruin their educational prospects if they Bring It Home. This needs to change!
LOCATION = ONLINE TWITTER STORM! It’s time for students sound off! More details soon!
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We plan to add confirmed Bring It Home demonstrations to this page. We request organizers create Facebook Event and send us the link so we can update this page with the time, date, and location. Together we are going to change these outdated policies so everyone can have safe and equal access to cannabis!
DCMJ Urges President Trump to Stop Sessions from Reversing Course of Legalization
WASHINGTON, DC — Legalization advocates DCMJ, the organization that spearheaded Initiative 71 that legalized cannabis in the District of Columbia, issued the following statement Wednesday regarding the Senate confirming Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) as U.S. Attorney General.
Adam Eidinger, co-founder DCMJ stated:
“Despite all the damning evidence brought against him, the Senate today rubber-stamped colleague Jeff Sessions to serve as Attorney General in the Trump Administration. Sessions is a failed war on drugs zealot who has gone so far as to suggest that marijuana offenders deserve the death penalty. To say he is out of touch with the legalization wave rolling through the United States would be an understatement. Sessions is a threat to states rights, the will of the voters and the legalization movement as a whole.
“Conversely, President Trump is on-the-record with his support for states rights and medical marijuana, promising a hands-off federal approach to states with legalization laws enacted. We are hopeful that the commander-in-chief, along with leaders from law enforcement, the civil rights community and cannabis activists, will take the opportunity to help enlighten Sessions on responsible drug policy reforms.”
Nikolas Schiller, DCMJ co-founder, added:
“Senator Sessions statements earlier this year are quite clear: it is up to Congress to pass legislation that absolves him of the responsibility of turning a blind eye towards cannabis. The silver lining is that if President Trump keeps his campaign promises, Sessions will judiciously use taxpayer dollars on the Federal enforcement of cannabis similar to the previous administration. I urge Congress to take up legislation that will allow the new Attorney General to focus his time on more important issues facing the American people.
“But if President Trump wants to take cash out of the hands of international drug cartels and create millions of tax-paying jobs, then America’s cannabis community is a willing partner. If President Trump wants to overhaul healthcare and help veterans, America’s medical cannabis community is also a willing partner. Partnerships make America great, but until cannabis is fully legalized, the full potential of America is not being achieved.
“Looking at the 2016 Election and the eight states that passed new responsible marijuana measures in November, an interesting political trend reveals itself: cannabis polls high across party lines—independents, Libertarians, Green Party, Republicans and Democrats. The evidence of this can be seen in the 28 states and the District of Columbia that have already enacted sensible drug policy reforms. Americans are now looking to the President and Congress to change the laws nationally and replace them with more common sense approaches towards cannabis. You don’t have to be a farmer or a political scientist to realize that Americans want President Trump and Congress to act now.”
Please email Press@DCMJ.org with any follow-up questions.
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!
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 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!
We are celebrating the 1 year anniversary of Ballot Initiative 71 by heading back to Bel Air, Maryland to troll Rep. Andy Harris. If it wasn’t for him, DC would be very close to opening stores for adults to purchase cannabis. Our goal is to prevent Andy Harris from being re-elected this year in order to show him & other members of Congress that they shouldn’t meddle in the affairs of the District of Columbia!
THE PLAN: This Sunday morning rain or shine we need you to meet us at the African American Civil War Memorial Metro Station (Green/Yellow Line, 10th Street Exit) at 10:45am and we will leave for Bel Air, Maryland at 11:00am sharp. At 1pm we’ll hold a rally outside Andy Harris’ congressional office located at 15 Churchville Rd, Bel Air, MD. After the rally we’ll spread out along the Baltimore Pike and hold up signs for a couple hours to engage drivers & pedestrians and register voters. We plan to leave Bel Air for DC at around 4:20pm and anticipate being back in DC before 7pm. Sound like fun?
If you have a car and are willing drive DCMJ supporters OR if you need a ride, please fill out this Google Doc so we can ensure we have enough signs and seats! If you know of friends who may be interested in joining us, please invite them on Facebook!
Even though Initiative 71 legalized cannabis, it cannot be consumed anywhere in DC other than in a private home. This is because, the week after Initiative 71 took effect, the DC Council passed emergency legislation (Act 21-149) that banned marijuana consumption at any bar, nightclub, bingo hall, or private venue in Washington, DC. Without any pressing reason, the Mayor and the DC Council severely restricted our rights as cannabis consuming adults.
Unfortunately, many people can’t use cannabis in their homes, because they live in federally-subsidized housing where they would risk eviction, their landlord won’t allow it, or they don’t want to smoke or vape around their children. Thus, they have nowhere to go except the street, where they risk being convicted of the crime of public consumption. If this law expires, as it is scheduled to do on January 15, people could consume cannabis in private venues and at private events. While DC residents might be tolerant of their neighbors smoking outdoors, the ban needs to go!
On Thursday, December 10, 2015 at 10:00 am in Room 123 of the John A. Wilson Building (1350 Pennsylvania Ave. NW), the Committee on the Judiciary will hold a public hearing on B21-0107, which would make this unnecessary and harmful law permanent.
We believe that some members of the DC Council who supported the temporary law are prepared to change their vote and oppose this legislation, but they need to see that their constituents (YOU!) care about this issue. Your presence will make a huge difference!
Signing up to testify is easy. Just email Kate Mitchell, Judiciary Committee Director, at kmitchell@dccouncil.us, or call her at (202) 727-8275, and provide your name, phone number, title (if any), and the organization you work for (if you are speaking on the organization’s behalf). The deadline to sign up is 5:00pm on December 7, 2015.
If you plan to testify, please come to our “how-to” meeting on Wednesday, December 9, 2015 at 7pm at 2448 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Please email RSVP@DCMJ.org so we know how many people to expect.
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.
Today Mayor Bowser, Chief Lanier, DC Attorney General Racine, DC Councilmembers, and Congresswoman Norton hosted a press conference to defend Ballot Initiative 71 from congressional interference. Ballot Initiative 71 is set to become law tonight at 12:01AM, Thursday, February 26, 2015.
Below are the documents related Ballot Initiative 71 that were released yesterday by the Mayor:
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 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
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:
