Heather CurtisWMAL.com
WASHINGTON (WMAL) – Washingtonians can already smoke pot legally for recreation, but they can’t legally buy it unless they have a prescription for medical marijuana. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser wants to change that.
Thursday Bowser introduced the Safe Cannabis Sales Act of 2019, which would legalize the sale of recreational marijuana in the city. The city legalized the use and possession of recreational marijuana with the passage of Initiative 71 in 2014.
“This piece of legislation will put our city on the path forward establishing a legal sales and tax regime that is centered on safety and clarity,” Bowser said during a press conference Thursday.
Growers would have their operations inspected, according to Bowser, so consumers would know what they were getting.
Another way the proposed law would promote safety would be by allowing people to buy marijuana from licensed stores instead of street dealers.
The bill is also designed to spur the local economy and create jobs for Washingtonians. At least 60 percent of places licensed to sell marijuana would be owned by D.C. residents, and all stores would be required to hire Washingtonians for at least 60% of their positions.
Antjuan Washington with District Growers – a minority owned cultivator in the city – said these requirements will allow D.C. residents to get involved in the lucrative cannabis industry.
Not only would the legalization of the sale of recreational marijuana provide economic opportunities for District residents, Bowser said it would also boost the amount of revenues in the city’s coffers. She is proposing using the tax revenues to increase the District’s supply of affordable housing. She said that housing would be located in areas hardest-hit by the criminalization of recreational marijuana, which has sent many black men to jail.
The bill would also automatically seal records for most marijuana convictions. Bowser said these convictions often make it difficult for people to get jobs.
D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham stressed even if the bill passed, it would still be illegal to smoke marijuana in public. Owners of private property, including apartment complexes, would also be able to ban use of marijuana on their land.
D.C. can’t move forward with legalization until congress removes a rider Rep. Andy Harris put on a spending bill prohibiting D.C. from using local money to legalize the sale of marijuana. Bowser is hopeful the new Democratically controlled Congress will remove the rider, but she said the city can’t wait for that to happen before taking action.
Bowser expects the council to vote on the bill by the end of the year but said it’s hard to say when dispensaries would open.
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