On November 4, 2014, DC residents voted to legalize marijuana. DC had already decriminalized marijuana in July of this year. Soon, however, a person 21 years or older in DC will be able to:
- possess up to two ounces of marijuana for personal use;
- grow no more than six cannabis plants with 3 or fewer being mature, flowering plants, within the person’s principal residence;
- transfer without payment (but not sell) up to one ounce of marijuana to another person 21 years of age or older; and
- use or sell drug paraphernalia for the use, growing, or processing of marijuana or cannabis.
Dubbed “Initiative 71” on the ballot, the measure passed with the approval of an overwhelming majority of DC voters:
Source: https://www.dcboee.org/election_info/election_results/2014/November-4-General-Election
Despite the wide approval of Initiative 71 by residents, the future of marijuana legalization in DC is still uncertain. Congress has 60 working days to override the will of the voters and veto the initiative. With the passage of this bill, and assuming Congress takes no action to stop it, DC joins several other states that have decriminalized small amounts of marijuana.
