Photo by clarissa.stark

Ahead of the general election, in which District residents will have the opportunity to vote for marijuana legalization in the city, the D.C. Council will hold a joint public hearing on a different bill that would legalize and regulate pot in D.C.

The bill, the “Marijuana Legalization and Regulation Act of 2013,” aims to not only legalize marijuana, but also establish taxation and regulation infrastructure for marijuana production and sale in D.C. With this bill, marijuana would be taxed and regulated in the same way as alcohol is in D.C., with oversight provided by the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration.

The bill, which was introduced in September of last year by Councilmember David Grosso (I-At Large), would also establish a “dedicated marijuana fund” that collects taxes, license fees, penalties, forfeitures, and other income and revenue from taxation that would go to the city.

But the bill isn’t aimed for stoners to get high in peace. Marijuana policy reform in D.C. is deeply rooted in the vast racial disparity of drug-related arrests in the city. “I’ve said from the beginning when I introduced my bill in September of 2013 that this was the real answer to the civil rights [problems] we face in the District of Columbia,” Grosso told DCist in a recent interview. “Until we have a framework for buying and selling marijuana in the District legally, we’re going to continue to have a disparity in police arrests and interactions with police in our city. And I feel like if we’re going to do it, we have to do it right now.”

The hearing, which will be held by the Committee on Business, Consumer, and Regulatory Affairs and the Committee on Finance and Revenue, will be held on Thursday October 30 at 11 a.m. in the Wilson Building. Anyone wishing to testify should contact (202) 727-6683 or email fcaldwell@dccouncil.us by Thursday, October 23.