In Historic Vote, D.C. Council Approves Medical Marijuana Law
Today, by a unanimous vote, the D.C. Council approved amendments to a medical marijuana law first passed in 1998 by 69 percent of District voters. Congress had blocked implementation of Initiative 59 for more than a decade, until it lifted its ban last year.
Mayor Adrian Fenty is expected to sign the bill, at which point Congress will have 30 days to review before it becomes law. Once that happens, the District of Columbia will join 14 states across the country in allowing qualified patients to use medical marijuana without fear of arrest.
This is a landmark victory for the nation’s capital and the potentially thousands of District residents who will benefit from safe and legal access to medical marijuana.
“It has taken nearly 12 years, but the District will at last have a law that recognizes the mounting scientific consensus that, for many conditions, marijuana can be safe and effective medicine,” MPP’s Karen O’Keefe said in a press release today.
Under the District’s law, physicians will be able to give medical marijuana recommendations to patients suffering from HIV/AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis, glaucoma, and other serious conditions that can be alleviated through marijuana. Qualified patients will have safe access to their medicine through a limited number of dispensaries within the District.
There’s much more to be said about this very exciting news. Stay tuned to MPP’s blog for updates.
Tagged with: Congress and D.C. and D.C. Council and District of Columbia and Initiative 59 and nation's capital and Washington by the author
40 comments
COOL. Today another law passed. TEAR DOWN THE WALL.. One state at a time is how we will win.
YES!
TEAR DOWN THE WALL! TEAR DOWN THE WALL! TEAR DOWN THE WALL! TEAR DOWN THE WALL! TEAR DOWN THE WALL!
i just watched the wall this morning….. quite appropriate
See what voices can do?!?! Ooo man… Can’t wait for the November election and see this nation accept this wonderful herb and the uses from hemp… I wanna see a domino effect from the west to the east and eventually the culturally sealed off south will join in less than a decade.. Plz Herb Gawdz!!
Tear down the wall of cannabis prohibition which was built on bigoted, and unscientific foundations! Wow it’s happening!
Free Marc Emery!! Plant a seed for a brother in need.. Without him we wouldn’t have gotten this far
Very encouraging news. It’s good to see a sensible policy taking hold in our Capitol.
does that mean the folks in white house can now get prescriptions and mmj patient cards? Very interesting to see what happens next. A cannabis dispensary across from white house?
No politician can deny marijuana medicinal qualities, this latest victory shows that we will have legal medicinal marijuana in all states by 2012, and hopefully with California and Oregon working on full blown legalization, soon we can all enjoy our god given freedoms and constitutional rights without fear of prosecution.
Free The Weed. Free The People.
One of the biggest distinctions this has over the current 14 states is just that – it is not a state, but federally regulated land. This is the first real, non-rhetorical crack in the federal facade.
Mr Obama, tear down this wall!
until we have someone on the floor of congress in both the senate and house of Representatives i will not put to much faith in any initiative we need to create a party that is pro marijuana and other sensible laws and not just a lobbyist group, even though it has done good. We need political moxie like that of John Q. Adams, someone that will go on the floor and push for out right legalization and fight it on a constitutional level, because it violates the constitution: amendment 8 from bill of rights, Amendment 8 – Cruel and Unusual Punishment. Ratified 12/15/1791.
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
upon smelling marijuana in coming from a residents home a police officer arrested 4 college athletes, that seems cruel to me
Amendment 18 – Liquor Abolished. Ratified 1/16/1919. Repealed by Amendment 21, 12/5/1933. History
1. After one year from the ratification of this article the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited.
2. The Congress and the several States shall have concurrent power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
3. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of the several States, as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the States by the Congress.
Amendment 21 – Amendment 18 Repealed. Ratified 12/5/1933. History
1. The eighteenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed.
2. The transportation or importation into any State, Territory, or possession of the United States for delivery or use therein of intoxicating liquors, in violation of the laws thereof, is hereby prohibited.
3. The article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by conventions in the several States, as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the States by the Congress.
i see no where in the constitution of these states that gives congress the power to deem a substance illegal except in which where it says welfare of the people and that is still debatable because these laws have instilled distrust with our police and our political members so i find these laws unconstitutional. If the marijuana laws are for our welfare then why are so many non-violent people incarcerated for it, paying fines, and then taking it as a legitimate medicine
i put amendments 18 and 21 in there to show that even our government has recognized that trying to control a substance that so many people enjoy doing has failed and this is not the state level but our own constitution
Tear down the wall……
why must we compare this to the berlin wall, but why fight it might as well throw my voice out there
TEAR DOWN THE WALL!!!! So that Lady Liberty should walk free
and i know the 8th amendment actually pertains to punishment for conviction of a crime but i believe that part should also include what we arrest people for
United States Patent 6,630,507
Hampson , et al. October 7, 2003
——————————————————————————–
Cannabinoids as antioxidants and neuroprotectants
Abstract
Cannabinoids have been found to have antioxidant properties, unrelated to NMDA receptor antagonism. This new found property makes cannabinoids useful in the treatment and prophylaxis of wide variety of oxidation associated diseases, such as ischemic, age-related, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. The cannabinoids are found to have particular application as neuroprotectants, for example in limiting neurological damage following ischemic insults, such as stroke and trauma, or in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and HIV dementia.
——————————————————————————–
Why can’t I get it from the Government like George or Elvy? Why can’t I grow it? I’m going blind from Glaucoma. I can’t work. I’m on a limited budget. I can’t afford $30 or $40 a gram for medicine. It still isn’t right. I can still get it, but I can’t afford to buy it. What happened today didn’t help me much. I bet I’m not the only one in this difficult situation. Another government let me down…
This is great news for our civil liberties.
Unfortunatly it took 12 years to come to fruition. And on further note, sadly, at this rate I might be able to legaly smoke cannabis on my death bed when I’m 80.
70 years of cannabis prohibition, probably 70 more before the “laws” are figured out by lawyers, politico’s, lobbiests and such and the ban is lifted.
Hemp Hemp Hurray
All the best from Berlin/Germany!
We are marching this Weekend for Global Marijuana!
I just gave a hundred bucks so that MPP can lobby the Mayor for changes to the amendments to Bill 59. Good Luck MPP. Keep Fighting. I mean Lobbying. This should bring down their House of Cards at the Federal Level. The hypocrisy is just to much to be believed! Really. Legal MMJ @ the place they come up with the BS/ Laws etc.,, that Maria Juanita has no Medical Value. Time for a Drug Schedule change DEA. Hopefully, the Serpent’s Forked tongue will be silenced once and for all and their will only be one voice to hear, the voice of truth and not lies from our ancestor’s. This shouldn’t take long. But hey, it’s Washington D.C. . It might never happen. Hell, they didn’t start to take immigration seriously until my former home state AZ. passed legislation regarding it. Oh, now they are all over it. See how the system works?!!!! Maybe in November with Cali, it will be the same way. All of a sudden it will be all they can do to take up the issue.
Peace all my bruddahs and sistaas.
All I want is for my friends, family, and fellow citizens to have their right to choice. All I want is for people who can be benefited by medical marijuana to be able to ascertain their prescription at a reasonable price. What is wrong with this prohibition is that it created a war with the citizens. I have lost friends because of their neglagence, and not because they smoked marijuana or the gateway theory but because instead of them taking school serious and wanting an education for job security purposes they found it easier to distribute marijuana. I will never have my friends back, the lifestyle they were given an opportunity to choose has already engulfed them and will cause them to only search for similar means of money if they can not sell marijuana. Thank you for listening but I don’t agree marijuana should be legal because alcohol and tobacco are legal. I believe it should be legal so that children are not as exposed to the black market and given the opportunity to select that life path as easily as it is made available now.
Saying Medical Marijuana is about as stupid as saying Medical Alcohol or Medical Coffee. Medical Fried Chikken? It should be legalised completely so we can get rid of these stupid Orwellian terms.
Maybe the DCites watched Avatar, sang kumbiya & connected with THE FORCE. The boinggggg!!!! Medical Marijuana? No Brainer!!
Pun intended about No Brain.
LoveHate, best comment here!
New Term, “Spiritual Marijuana” its my right and I use it for spiritual reasons.
The 14th amendment defines the jurisdiction of Washington D.C. to include ALL U.S. Citizens in every territory or possession.
My reading of the jurisdictional aspects tells me that anyone who is a citizen of the United States and subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, is covered under this law, no matter which state you live in! If you fill out your tax form and you check the box that says you are a U.S. Citizen, then you can use medical Marijuana under this new D.C. law.
I am running for Sheriff of Gallatin County Kentucky, and when I win I will not interfere with the rights of any citizen who wants to grow or use cannabis hemp!
please donate to my campaign!
i was gonna knock you but hey man do it get on it and do right for your county and set an example for your surrounding counties so that maybe, just maybe, you in Kentucky will start a nation wide trend of sensible politics and it could be your legacy.. I’m rooting for you but I am poor.
I checked out your web site it gave me high hopes for the immediate future
Can we get a post about SB 1381 here in Illinois? The session ends May 7, All it needs is House approval. One state at a time.
That’s good, but congress still has to approve it. : (
Hell yea! Spiritual marijuana, we dostill have freedom of religion here right?
Thats do still.
Yes WE CAN, LEGALIZE!!
whooo hooo! ya..the people won!
how long will it take to free the people/lets hope /soon soon soon.get up stand up/ stand up for your rights
THE END IS NIGH. THE GREAT REVERSAL IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN. ONLY BECAUSE OF PEOPLE LIKE US WHO CHOSE TO TAKE A STAND AGAINST THE DEMONIZERS. HEY RONNIE, GOOD TO SEE YOU HERE. USUALLY YOUR AT PHOENIX TEARS. THIS IS THE DUDE IN ALASKA. A SPECIAL PEACE TO YOU BRUDDAH. CAN’T WAIT TILL YOUR SHERIFF OF GALLATIN COUNTY. HOPE RICK IS DOING OK. YOU GOT ANY INFO ON RICK’S WELL BBEING. RONNIE, LIKE YOUR POST ABOUT THE FOURTEENTH AMENDMENT, THAT’S SO POWERFUL IT’S OVERPOWERING. THANKS FOR THE GOOD WORK OF THE DAY. YOU HERE THAT BRUDDAHS AND SISTAAS, MMJ IS LEGAL EVERYWHERE BY WAY OF THE FOURTEENTH AMENDMENT. LETS SEE THEY WILL PROBABLY TRY TO CHANGE THAT AMENDMENT VERY SOON. PEACE TO YOU RONNIE, NICE WORK, FUCK I LOVE IT.
I don’t see how the MPP can be trumpeting this as such a huge success. They don’t even mention how much this bill has been altered from the initiative DC voters passed. The MPP is standing idly by watching medical marijuana bills all across America get chipped away at. The MPP claims that this is “the best bill” that both “safeguards against abuses” and “enacts the will of the voters”? The voters voted 69% for the bill AS IS. Including the right to home grows. Without these needless restrictions on qualifying conditions and how much medicine a patient can buy per month. Is the MPP buying into the prohibitionist notion that there are people out there “not sick enough” to use cannabis? People like myself that use it for back pain and sleeplessness? Is that the “abuse” you are trying to safeguard against? People who don’t have completely debilitating conditions using the safest medication available? Is it “abuse” to need more than 2 .oz of medication per month? You guys will stand silent on these restrictions but you won’t lobby for employment protection for patients? How come every time the MPP gets involved with a state medical marijuana bill, the end result is a bill that doesn’t give patents the right to a home grow? I understand the concept of getting the bill that has the best chance of passing, but this bill would have passed as is. If the FED is going to act against DC’s medical marijuana program (not likely, regardless of what is in the bill), they are going to do it with or without these concessions. And let’s face it, the federal government has been rendered completely ineffective. They wouldn’t be able to move against DC’s medical marijuana program even if they wanted to.
You are either for or against medical marijuana. If you approve, allowing patents to grow their own is not going to turn you against it. If you are against it applying needless restrictions is not going to sway you to support it. Minnesota and New Hampshire are good examples of this. You chip away at a bill with all these needless concessions and the hunk of crap that’s left over that protects no one is still vetoed. It’s a ploy politicians use to waste the time, energy and money of advocacy groups working to change these laws. Politicians get to appear compassionate, we put out heart and soul into jumping through every one of their little hoops, then in the end they pull the plug that they had every intention of pulling from the get go. Then they say “see ya next session” just to pull the same crap over again. No more! I refuse to continue to donate to an organization that is willing to allow elected officials walk back all the progress we have made on the cannabis issue over the past 15+ years. The amendments added to this bill only serve to hurt patients. The MPP is well aware of that. So when it comes to telling their supporters about its passage, it’s all rainbows and dispensaries. Don’t get me wrong. It’s historic and all and I am happy, but the spirit of the initiative that won 69% of the vote has been picked apart; and if the MPP is not even going to acknowledge these flawed amendments, then there’s little hope they are going to do much to resist or overturn them. The MPP has become part of the problem.
@Christ Almighty – I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your hundred bucks will go towards sending Rob to the Playboy mansion for his T&A fix. Just like they’ve been doing with my money. This organization no longer represents the interests of cannabis users. From now on my money is going to other organizations that are working to fully protect patients and aren’t headed by a douche who’s only interest in the marijuana movement is an avenue to score pussy.
hemp hemp hurray legalize today and puff puff pass
MPP… Hope for D.C. feels like I do. We feel you are looking out for YOUR interest, not so much ours. Change our minds by your actions. NOT JUST WORDS.
Mike. I agree with you. Illinois needs a boost. This has been dragging out. Can we do a ballot initiative in Illinois?
Just to set the record straight, MPP has been lobbying the DC City Council heavily since the Barr Amendment was repealed to create a medical marijuana system that reflected the will of the voters that passed Initiative 59. Unfortunately, we were not able to get everything we wanted. The important thing is that we have a law that protects many patients from arrest. In addition, this law can be amended in the future, and MPP will continue to be at the forefront of this effort.
Does anyone know where I can get information abut how this will actually work: Do I just go to my Doctor? Do I have to get a special card? What are the steps I must take?
Lovehate says…
“Saying Medical Marijuana is about as stupid as saying Medical Alcohol or Medical Coffee.”
I say…
You know absolutely nothing about this subject.
Google THC, cb1, cancer
or MS, THC
or Crohns Disease, THC, cell mutation
or Sativex
etc etc etc
@Lovehate, fried chicken is neither neuroprotective nor an antioxidant:
Is marijuana LAWFULLY(1) included in US Controlled Substances Act Schedule I, drugs with “no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States and a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision”?
Consider Marinol, a synthetic chemical that works like THC, a psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. At 100 percent strength, Marinol is around four times BC Bud’s potency, or twice as strong as hashish. Generically named Dronabinol, warning labels specifically PERMIT driving and using machinery when users know how the medicine affects them.
31 US states have medical marijuana laws on the books, if not enforced(2).
Even the title of U.S. Patent No. 6630507, “Cannabinoids as antioxidants and neuroprotectants”(3) demonstrates currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States and no lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision.
Regardless, for similar reasons and according to the Ontario Court of Justice, Canada’s laws against marijuana were found to remain unconstitutional since Parker, in R. v. Long.(4)
So, under what US or Canada law are cannabis and cannabinoids _legally_ prohibited?
1. http://www.justice.gov/dea/pubs/scheduling.html
2. http://www.mpp.org/legislation/state-by-state-medical-marijuana-laws.html
3. tinyurl.com/classactionlawsuit
4. http://www.canlii.org/en/on/oncj/doc/2007/2007oncj341/2007oncj341.html
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