The emerging U.S. cannabis industry has opened the doors to a number of new possibilities. And, if one congresswoman gets her way, cannabis at the U.S. Botanic Garden may be the next boundary to break.
Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D) represents Washington, D.C. in the House of Representatives and believes it’s time for cannabis plants to be featured in the U.S. Botanic Garden. The congresswoman wrote to the U.S. Botanic Garden to request it begin displaying cannabis for the first time, according to a news release.
“As the country moves towards legalizing cannabis, I asked the Botanic Garden to display marijuana plants for the first time, esp given its impact on the economy,” Norton tweeted. “This follows my request that the Garden display hemp, which I’m pleased it now does.”
In the letter, Norton mentions that more and more states, “as well as the federal government,” are legalizing various forms of cannabis. She also points to the House of Representatives and its passing over several bills that would have descheduled cannabis from the Controlled Substance Act.
“As individual states and the country as a whole are moving toward the legalization of marijuana, having a display with male and female marijuana plants would be a historic opportunity to highlight the impact of marijuana on American society and, especially, the American economy,” Norton writes.
The letter also mentions statistics citing that states with legal cannabis have collected approximately 20% more in taxes on retail cannabis than on the sale of alcohol products in 2021. She also references that recreational cannabis is now legal in nearly half of U.S. states.
The congresswoman has been a vocal advocate surrounding cannabis legalization. In April 2022, she spoke at the National Cannabis Festival, highlighting the progress so far and calling out the powers that maintain certain roadblocks moving forward.
“The American people support marijuana legalization, and we continue to make progress on marijuana legalization in the states, but Congress, particularly the Senate, continues to block progress on marijuana legalization in the District of Columbia and nationally,” Norton said. “It is past time for Congress to catch up with the American people and the states on marijuana.”
Norton has specifically advocated for the District’s right to jumpstart its own cannabis industry.
Voters in D.C. legalized cannabis possession and personal cultivation for adults in 2014. Legislators have taken steps to have commercial regulations ready to enact if and when a long-standing appropriations rider is lifted, but it continues to block D.C. from using its tax dollars to launch its own cannabis industry. There are currently no licensed recreational retailers operating in the District of Columbia.
“D.C. has legalized the possession of adult-use marijuana, but Congress has blocked D.C. from legalizing, taxing and regulating adult-use sales,” Norton said. “Congress recently finished the fiscal year 2022 appropriations bill. The original versions of the House and Senate bills would have allowed D.C. to commercialize adult-use marijuana.
“However, President Biden and Republicans opposed allowing D.C. to do so, and they prevailed in the final bill,” she continued. “I am deeply disappointed that President Biden, who strongly supports D.C. statehood, which would allow D.C. to enact its own policies without congressional interference, supports blocking D.C. from commercializing adult-use marijuana.”
Simple possession and cultivation are permitted in D.C., though the U.S. Botanic Garden itself is located on federal property and could make growing the plant on site problematic, as a Schedule I drug.
In the letter to the Botanic Garden, Norton asked for a written response by May 24.
