Capital Holiday: Take a trip to Washington, D.C.

hree of the last four U.S. Presidents smoked cannabis, so it is only fitting that the District of Columbia is friendly to MMJ patients. While visitors cannot expect to blaze Obama OG Kush on the National Mall, medical use is legal now, and the capital has a thriving industry for nightlife, restaurants, bars and theater.  Sure, selfie addicts can binge click in front of the Capitol,
White House, Lincoln Memorial and whatever other edifice appeared on NCIS,
but a vibrant cosmopolitan spirit makes a D.C. trip worth more than civic
sightseeing.

Visiting the admission-free
Smithsonian and National Gallery is essential, but also dig deeper by exploring
D.C.’s cultural diversity and artistic heritage. Twenty percent of
Washington-area locals were born on foreign soil–and exceptional ethnic
restaurants continue to multiply like stray lobbyists. For Latin cuisine, Del
Campo offers wagyu beef empanadas, milk-braised iberico pork cheeks and mixed
drinks with South American spirits like aguardiente and pisco. Do you fancy
dinner in a utensil-free restaurant? D.C. metro claims the largest Ethiopian
population outside Africa, and Little Ethiopia has dozens of shops and
restaurants where patrons eat exclusively with their hands. After dining on
flatbread and spicy stew, head to V and 9th for the 9:30 Club, a seminal venue
that (in its original location) helped nurture the 1980s hardcore scene
epitomized by bands like Minor Threat, S.O.A. and Bad Brains.

Fun-Filled Facts:

-The architectural basis for the
original Capitol Building and White House came from a design competition in
which the winners scored $500 and a lot of land.

-The intended name for the
legislative building was the Congress House, but Thomas Jefferson apparently
insisted on Capitol, a name associated with the Temple of Jupiter Capitolinus
on Rome’s Capitoline Hill.

-Philadelphia, Baltimore,
Lancaster, York, Annapolis, Trenton and New York City all hosted the national
government before D.C.–a spot conspicuously closer to Mount Vernon–became the
official capital.

If You Go:

Against a
backdrop of sky-high cannabis arrest rates, D.C. became one of the first places
to approve medical use. Seventy percent of the citizenry approved an MMJ ballot
measure in 1998, but Congress exercised its power over the District and shot it
down. In a second attempt, the City Council voted 13 to 0 in favor of Amendment Act B18-622 in 2010, and when Congress did not
intercede within 30 days, the Amendment became law. More twists and turns are
bound to come so always medicate with caution.

Time to Go: Spring or Fall

Weather:
Cool, sunny days with possible light showers.

Budget: $$$$