DC City Council Finalizes Ban on Public Cannabis Consumption
Apr 26, 2016 10:07:47 GMT -5
Post by colorsound on Apr 26, 2016 10:07:47 GMT -5
Hey guys,
First post, here we go! Thought I'd start off by talking about something a little bit outside of DC's Medical Marijuana Program, which is mostly run by the DC Department of Health, but still relevant to the local cannabis community. So DC City Council has been back and forth about the idea of public cannabis consumption. The congressional rider enacted by Andy Harris, which has been renewed for 2016, essentially prevents DC City Council from spending federal funds to enact marijuana taxation and regulation in the District, although it does not permit them from enacting this sort of legislation using leftover funds from past years (a "loophole" that many have proposed). Because of this, Mayor Bowser and the majority of DC City Council felt it prudent to ban public consumption of marijuana, including licensed marijuana "clubs," since such establishments would require a system of taxation and regulation to be profitable and safe. Honestly, I agree with them; without taxation and regulation, it really doesn't make sense to have public marijuana clubs. The only way I could see it working, in our city's current climate, would be "membership only" cannabis clubs that charge a fee for regular access, and only permit DC Medical Marijuana Patients who are entering with sealed, labeled medicine, which would need to be checked at the door. Probably not the vision most DC residents have, but I don't see how else it could work if the clubs will not be allowed to dispense the cannabis themselves in any form. So back in February, DC City Council voted to assemble a "task force" to evaluate the feasibility of such a system. However, in a surprise move, the day before 4/20, DC City Council issued a new vote: to permanently ban ALL public consumption of marijuana in DC, including clubs and even medical facilities licensed by DoH to allow patients to consume their medical cannabis. So the task force, who will still be meeting, is now basically a committee discussing how "weed clubs" could operate in a post taxation & regulation District of Columbia. For this, they can look to other states out West that already have such systems in place and have legal clubs operating.
First post, here we go! Thought I'd start off by talking about something a little bit outside of DC's Medical Marijuana Program, which is mostly run by the DC Department of Health, but still relevant to the local cannabis community. So DC City Council has been back and forth about the idea of public cannabis consumption. The congressional rider enacted by Andy Harris, which has been renewed for 2016, essentially prevents DC City Council from spending federal funds to enact marijuana taxation and regulation in the District, although it does not permit them from enacting this sort of legislation using leftover funds from past years (a "loophole" that many have proposed). Because of this, Mayor Bowser and the majority of DC City Council felt it prudent to ban public consumption of marijuana, including licensed marijuana "clubs," since such establishments would require a system of taxation and regulation to be profitable and safe. Honestly, I agree with them; without taxation and regulation, it really doesn't make sense to have public marijuana clubs. The only way I could see it working, in our city's current climate, would be "membership only" cannabis clubs that charge a fee for regular access, and only permit DC Medical Marijuana Patients who are entering with sealed, labeled medicine, which would need to be checked at the door. Probably not the vision most DC residents have, but I don't see how else it could work if the clubs will not be allowed to dispense the cannabis themselves in any form. So back in February, DC City Council voted to assemble a "task force" to evaluate the feasibility of such a system. However, in a surprise move, the day before 4/20, DC City Council issued a new vote: to permanently ban ALL public consumption of marijuana in DC, including clubs and even medical facilities licensed by DoH to allow patients to consume their medical cannabis. So the task force, who will still be meeting, is now basically a committee discussing how "weed clubs" could operate in a post taxation & regulation District of Columbia. For this, they can look to other states out West that already have such systems in place and have legal clubs operating.