The nation’s capital is getting ready for legalized marijuana to take effect this Thursday, though Washington, D.C., residents should probably hold off on marketing their homemade pot brownies.
The Washington Post reports that D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser will “ask the D.C. Council to approve emergency legislation to prohibit private clubs from following the model of Amsterdam coffee shops, where pot could be openly exchanged.”
Residents will be allowed up to two ounces of marijuana possession, and can grow the plant at home, but they must obey the same laws applicable to public alcohol intoxication.
“Residents spoke loud and clear when they voted to legalize small amounts of marijuana in the District of Columbia,” Bowser told the Post. “The task now is to implement in a safe, fair and transparent way.”
After D.C. voters approved marijuana legalization last November, Congress attempted to thwart the process by passing a spending bill forbidding the use of federal funds to implement legalization. (For more on Congress’ control of Washington, D.C., see the recent Next City recent “Why Urbanists Everywhere Should Be Fighting for D.C. Statehood.”) Pot in D.C. will nonetheless be legal soon. Thursday marks the end of a 30-day congressional review period, and the legalization remains subject to future court decisions.
Marielle Mondon is an editor and freelance journalist in Philadelphia. Her work has appeared in Philadelphia City Paper, Wild Magazine, and PolicyMic. She previously reported on communities in Northern Manhattan while earning an M.S. in journalism from Columbia University.
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