District Of Columbia Joins 3 States Plus Guam To Vote On Cannabis Reform In November

The District of Columbia will be joining
three states (Oregon, Alaska, Florida) as well as Guam—a U.S. territory— and
multiple municipalities around the country, to vote for greater access to
cannabis in November.

This year, reform advocates in the District
have taken advantage of the change in national mood to clearly move a local agenda
forward in the face of intransigent opposition from Congress.  The federal lawmaking body is responsible for
approving such measures in D.C. and has held back legalization efforts locally
for close to two decades

This year in March, the City Council voted
to decriminalize cannabis.  During the
summer the Council also voted to expand medical access in a temporary measure
that will expire right before the November vote.  In August, the voter initiative qualified for
a vote by gathering the required number of signatures to put the measure on the
ballot.

While the District’s program is still small
and the voter initiative does not address the issue of expanded sales since
D.C. residents do not have this option due to Congressional oversight, this is
still an important time for reform in the nation’s capital. 

If the measure is successful, D.C.
residents can legally possess up to 2 ounces of cannabis, own six plants and
legally “gift” or give this cannabis to other D.C. residents over the age of 21.  The current ticketing system implemented as
part of the decriminalization measure this spring would also be abolished.

New polls show the measure has,
predictably, 2-1 support and is widely expected to pass.  Given the changing environment on Capitol Hill,
particularly if the other states voting for reform this November also pass
their initiatives, it is very likely that the inflexibility of federal
lawmakers to the will of the voters in D.C. will finally come to an end.   As a result after November, District
residents are very likely to finally get the reform they first voted for over
16 years ago.