Photo by Matt Cohen.
On November 4, residents of D.C. will have the opportunity to vote for an initiative that would legalize the possession and home cultivation of small amounts of marijuana. Initiative 71, proposed by the D.C. Cannabis Campaign, received more than 57,000 signatures to get on the November ballot, with little to no opposition during the signature-gathering effort. But now, a group has formed to urge District voters to oppose the initiative.
At a press conference outside of the Bible Way Church, the group, called T.I.E. D.C., formally launched their campaign. “T.I.E. D.C. is committed to protecting these communities and the rest of the city from the consequences of legalizing a third recreational drug,” said William Jones, the main organizer of the campaign.
The Post’s editorial board this week urged District voters not to rush to legalize marijuana. “With marijuana already decriminalized, there’s no reason for the District to rush the next step; why not at least give Colorado a bit more time to provide lessons?” the Post wrote. Williams praised the Post’s editorial, adding that “[we] don’t need to legalize a third drug.”
T.I.E. D.C. stands for “Two Is Enough D.C.,” as in alcohol and tobacco, substances the group says affects communities throughout the city. In their campaign, T.I.E. D.C. is attacking three central issues that marijuana legalization advocates often talk about: mass incarceration, youth and the taxation and regulation of legalized marijuana.
The racial disparity in marijuana-related arrests is one of the central platforms for the local marijuana legalization movement, but T.I.E D.C.says that this is a false dichotomy. “Legalization would further entrap our youth and prevent them from being responsible citizens,” Williams says. “We need to focus on education and healthcare, not more drugs.”
In July, D.C.’s marijuana decriminalization law went into effect, which makes the possession of small amounts of pot punishable by no more than a simple fine. Kathy Henderson, an ANC commissioner, emphasized T.I.E. D.C.’s position that marijuana decriminalization is enough. “If we vote yes on Initiative 71, we’ll all be smoking in this city, whether we want to or not,” she said, warning of the possibility of second-hand marijuana smoke.
Speaking at today’s press conference, Former Rep. Patrick Kennedy said that “while this is an issue for the residents of the District of Columbia, it’s also an issue for all of America, because we’re seeing this question all over this country. And it’s time that we as a community really understand what’s at stake.” Kennedy also talked about the potential for commercialization of marijuana if it’s legalized. Though Initiative 71 doesn’t include a taxation and regulation component, Kennedy spoke as if that’s a real threat, warning of the millions and billions of dollars corporations stand to gain from legalizing marijuana.
“We already have legalized drugs—alcohol and tobacco—and it’s no mystery how the corporate profit-motive system of legalized drugs works,” he said. “They work by preying on vulnerable people. They work by targeting young people.”
And that’s the third tier of T.I.E. D.C.’s platform: the message marijuana legalization sends to the youth of the city. According to Williams, the legalization of marijuana could create another “big tobacco” industry, which targets youth. “We need to make sure that our young people aren’t targeted by some slick Madison Avenue advertising firm that wants them to use legalized marijuana,” Kennedy added. “It just doesn’t make any sense to me.”
With T.I.E. D.C. officially launching their campaign today, Williams publicly challenged Cannabis Campaign chairman Adam Eidinger to a debate on these issues. Though Eidinger wasn’t present for the press conference, Dr. Malik Burnett, a local organizer with the Drug Policy Alliance who works closely with the Cannabis Campaign, was. “I think what we just witnessed was rhetoric from the ’80s,” he told DCist at the end of the press conference.
But with less than two months until the election, one question that lingers is why T.I.E. D.C. is just getting started now? The marijuana legalization effort began almost a year ago, and the Cannabis Campaign successfully organized a massive signature-gathering effort, with hardly any opposition, over the summer to get their initiative on the November ballot. “We should have organized earlier,” Williams admitted DCist, “but it’s better to start late than never.”
