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“I imagine the President rolling up a tobacco-marijuana cigarette with John Boehner and sitting on the back porch of the White House to work out their problems,” Adam Eidinger—the co-owner of Capital Hemp and leader of DCMJ 2014—t told reporters this morning over breakfast. Eidinger is confident that by 2016, there will be a presidential candidate who will campaign primarily on the legalization of marijuana. But for the time being, he’s just focused on the legalization of marijuana here in D.C.
Earlier this year, Eidinger and DCMJ 2014 proposed an initiative for the decriminalization of marijuana for District voters. The initiative was put forth in order to support Tommy Wells’ (D-Ward 6) Marijuana Decriminalization Bill, which would reduce the maximum penalty for being caught with one ounce of marijuana from six months in prison and a $1,000 fine to just a $100 fine. But just last month, Eidinger officially withdrew that initiative, instead saying that DCMJ 2014 plans to resubmit the initiative as a bid for full legalization of marijuana in the District.
This morning, Eidinger and DCMJ 2014 unveiled the new draft of the marijuana legalization initiative for D.C. in 2014. The initiative, titled the “Legalization of Home Cultivation and Possession of Minimal Amounts of Marijuana for Personal Use Act of 2014,” proposes the legalization of possessing, using, purchasing and transporting marijuana for people over 21, if it’s less than two ounces. It also proposes the legalization of possessing, growing, harvesting and processing marijuana in your home, as long as there are no more than six cannabis plants, with no more than three of those plants being mature and flowering.
With this new proposal, Eidinger and DCMJ 2014 are staunchly pushing for the legalization of home cultivation, which they think is the best avenue for the legalization of marijuana. Earlier this morning, Eidinger, along with several other DCMJ 2014 advocates, told DCist and other reporters the many different reasons why they want home cultivation in D.C. and why their proposal will work:
- Dignity for victims of the racist drug war.
- Safety from encountering drug deals gone bad and poor quality weed.
- Quality increases at cannabis retailers when they compete with home grow.
- No cash exchange is needed and it defunds cartels.
- Limited to just three mature plants making diversion unlikely.
- D.C. voters already approved home cultivation in 1998.
- Home cultivation is permitted in many jurisdictions where marijuana is legal.
- There is no threat to children, according to an NIH study.
- Federal Government is only concerned with large grows, not three plants.
- The notion that the state has power to regulate nature out of existence is immoral.
- Home brewing of wine and beer came with alcohol prohibition ending.
- Cannabis is not just a big business to be taxed.
- D.C. could require registrations for home cultivation.
- Our founding fathers wanted people to be happy and free at home.
- Homegrown tobacco is not regulated.
But while Eidinger is hopeful about DCMJ 2014’s new marijuana legalization initiative, it’ll be going up against Wells’ decriminalization bill, which already has the support of at least eight other Councilmembers. Although initially supportive of the Wells decriminalization bill, Eidinger isn’t too big a fan of it anymore as he thinks that it won’t put an end to drug deal-related violence and that there’s enough support from D.C. voters for full legalization.
“Sixty-four percent in our poll in April supported legalization,” Eidinger says. But he’s afraid that Wells’ decriminalization bill might take away some of the support for full legalization, and if it does, he’ll withdraw his initiative and work on a way to cultivate more support from District voters. “I won’t do it if it’s under 60 percent, you can mark my words,” Eidinger says. “If we’re at 59 percent in our next poll of D.C. voters for legalization, if we’re losing support for legalization because of Wells’ efforts, then we won’t do it.”
Despite their distaste for Wells’ bill, Eidinger and DCMJ 2014 have found a new ally in Councilmember David Grosso (I-At Large), who introduced a marijuana legalization bill last month. The bill “would levy a 10 percent tax on recreational marijuana and 6 percent on medical marijuana. It would also authorize the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration to issue licenses to recreational marijuana stores,” U.S. News reports. “We think Grosso’s bill is the bill that should be heard before the Judiciary Committee, not Wells’ bill,” Eidinger says. “I’m really excited about the Grosso bill, but he’s not getting any respect.” Currently, Grosso’s bill has no co-sponsors.
On Wednesday, Wells will hold a public hearing for his bill, “The Simple Possession of Marijuana Decriminalization Act of 2013,” at the Anacostia Public Library. Eidinger and members of DCMJ 2014 will be there and are urging others to testify in support of full legalization, not decriminalization.
Here’s the full draft of the “Legalization of Home Cultivation and Possession of Minimal Amounts of Marijuana for Personal Use Act of 2014” proposal.
