The big day is approaching; The Don is taking office and the cannabis community will be there ready to celebrate with a plethora of joints. 4,200 joints to be exact. According to WUSA9, the recently passed Initiative 71 makes it legal in Washington DC to possess two ounces or less of weed, to grow it, and to give it away, but it is still illegal to sell it. Cannabis activists plan on passing out free joints a few hours before inauguration. They will ask participants to light the joints 4 minutes into the ceremony, just as Trump is being sworn in. After the big sesh, the activists plan to march on the National Mall to demand federal legalization of recreational marijuana use.
Currently, twenty-six states and District of Columbia have laws legalizing marijuana in some fashion. Seven of the twenty-six, plus District of Columbia have legalized recreational use, leaving the other states legalizing medical marijuana. Some of the states that do not have any laws legalizing medical or recreational marijuana still have conflicting laws leaving much open to interpretation. For example, Virginia enacted laws allowing for the possession of marijuana if individuals received prescriptions from doctors. However, federal law prohibits doctors from prescribing marijuana, making Virginia’s laws invalid.
Activists marching on inauguration day in favor of the federal government legalizing recreational marijuana is a huge step for the states left in the dark when it comes to marijuana. The group making this happen, DCMJ will be passing out joints in Dupont Circle the morning of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration. They will not tell people to smoke the free joints in public because that would be illegal. However, the leader, Adam Eidinger, told ABC News the idea of smoking them publicity would be “a great act of civil disobedience in light of the silence (on marijuana reform) coming from the Trump administration.” Eidinger was also quoted as saying “we would love not to do this. We feel compelled to do it and if we heard any sign from Donald Trump that he was serious about reform, and Jeff Sessions was serious about reform… we would call it off.”
Jeff Sessions is strongly opposed to marijuana use. He has been quoted as saying “good people don’t smoke marijuana” and that marijuana is “not the kind of thing that ought to be legalized.”
The Metropolitan Police Department are “aware of the situation and are monitoring it.” Anyone caught smoking in public at the inauguration could receive a citation, which could include a $25 fine or court summons. To combat the threat, DCMJ has offered to pay the fine for anyone who is arrested as a result of their plans.
The DCMJ will be checking I.D of anyone receiving their free joint. People from the community are encouraged to come and get their free joint even if they go back to watch the inauguration in the comfort of their own homes. The group intends to show that marijuana can be distributed safely without giving it away to kids.
