DC lawmakers have decided it’s time to reshape and improve DC’s medical cannabis scene.
While the District decriminalized marijuana use in 2014 and legalized the medical market in 2009, it has an incredibly restrictive medical cannabis program. The new bill will make it easier for patients to access cannabis by allowing more doctors to prescribe it and recommend it for conditions other than those listed on the state’s list of approved conditions.
The bill’s sponsors say they want a system where people can get their medicine without jumping through hoops. They’re working to ensure all of their patients are treated fairly and equally under the law.
Medical Cannabis In DC
The medical marijuana program in DC has been a long time coming. In 1998, Initiative 59 was passed by voters in DC and gave them the right to grow, possess, and use medical marijuana. But this law was delayed by Congress’s passage of the Barr Amendment, which prohibited DC from using its funds to support the program.
Even after that amendment was overturned in 2009, Congress wasn’t done meddling with how the District could regulate cannabis: they passed another congressional rider in 2014 that prohibited the District from spending any money on the legal cannabis industry.
The result has been a pretty dysfunctional system: while it’s legal for people to grow and use their cannabis (and even buy it from others), there are tons of barriers to selling, purchasing, and regulating the industry.
The Bill That’s Changing Everything
The DC City Council is set to vote on a bill that would reshape the District’s medical marijuana program by eliminating licensing caps for medical marijuana businesses, promoting social equity in the industry, and creating new regulated business categories.
To rectify some of the unfortunate results of the war on drugs, DC’s medical marijuana program has set aside a portion of its licenses for social equity applicants.
The legislation requires that 100% of specific dispensary licenses be set aside for social equity applicants. Even after the application window closes, the bill says current medical marijuana businesses and social equity applicants will be reviewed first.
This means that those disproportionately impacted by drug laws in DC—including people of color, women, and veterans—will have a better chance of entering the industry.
This bill would be a massive win for cannabis consumers in DC — but they’re not the only ones winning. One of the most significant changes concerns tax policy for the cannabis industry. The committee approved the revised bill allowing businesses to deduct taxes under local statutes they usually couldn’t make under the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) code known as 280E.
Additionally, the legislation codifies the emergency act that people 21 years and older can self-certify as medical cannabis patients who can buy marijuana from dispensaries without receiving a doctor’s recommendation.
The Final Step To Take
The congressional budget rider that interrupts medical and adult-use sales progress has caused much confusion and frustration among stakeholders and patients in DC.
A coalition of local, state, and national activist groups recently asked the US Attorney General to formally adopt a non-enforcement policy despite the congressional ban. However, we are still waiting for an update.
While we have yet to see the final results of DC’s Medical Marijuana Amendment Bill, we can conclude that the bill is making good progress through the government. The congressional rider attached to the bill has been removed, meaning the bill can proceed without any additional obstruction. Once this happens, DC’s weed scene should be golden!
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