Marijuana Legalization in DC

By Jeffrey Miron
Cato @ Liberty
Feb. 25, 2015

On February 26, 2015, marijuana becomes legal (again) under the laws of Washington, D.C. The key rules are:

It will be legal to possess up to two ounces of pot.

It will be legal to smoke said pot on private property.

It will be legal to transfer (give) an ounce or less of pot to someone else.

It will be legal to grow and cultivate up to six pot plants--no more than three mature ones--in your home.

You must be 21 years old to possess, consume, or grow pot.

Selling pot will still be illegal.

As will be smoking pot in any public space, which includes restaurants, bars, and coffee shops.

And, of course, none of this applies to any federal land (which accounts for 22 percent of the District), which considers marijuana illegal.

Overall, this is progress. But note that:

1. Federal marijuana prohibition still applies.

2. The age limit of 21 is misguided (just as with alcohol). That limit guarantees that much marijuana use will remain outside the law.

3. The limit on possession amounts is silly; the ban on sale is idiotic.

4. Perhaps restaurants, bars, and coffee shops will circumvent the ban on smoking in public by offering free edibles.

5. The federal government owns 22 percent of the land in D.C.? Geez.