Revenue from the home grow equipment market is expanding; bartenders are beginning to be given marijuana as tips, and the city council is thinking about designation marijuana clubs. However, conservatives in Congress are still prohibiting marijuana sales in Washington, D.C.
“It is kind of the Alice in Wonderland of cannabis legalization,” executive director of DC NORML Alex Jeffrey said to Reuters, “It’s like there’re all these rules and regulations that no one follows.”
After the legalization vote in 2016, Muriel Bowser, the mayor of D.C., along with other leaders in the city limited cannabis to home growth and consumption after cannabis sales were made illegal through a spending bill rider by Congress.
“This limbo that we’re in because of the congressional rider is untenable,” D.C. Council member Brianne Nadeau, stated.
The District’s complex regulations have made a ton of people begin growing cannabis in their own homes. The 2015 District of Columbia State Fair even held a contest to find out who grows the best marijuana. Cannabis activists project that there are between 500 and 1,000 people farming for optimal yield. Capital City Hydroponics now distributes starter farmer kits, according to John Diango.
“All walks of life come in here, young to old, all classes, all creeds, and colors,” Diango added.
Council member Nadeau along with other lawmakers all voted recently to decide whether they want to license private cannabis clubs. Activists state that the clubs would give people who live in federal public housing a place to consume the plant. Also, this option would also be available to adults who do not wish to smoke near their kids. But there are other regulations that probably will not change. The biggest issue is that possession is still illegal on federal land, which is about a fifth of Washington, D.C.
