Jacob Bell
New Member
As advocates for medical marijuana prepare for a demonstration in front of the Wilson Building next week, city officials are pleading for patience, noting that a recent memo from the Department of Justice related to state efforts to legalize marijuana for medicinal use has led them to scrutinize the city's program to ensure it doesn't provoke a federal or congressional response.
On July 27, a year to the day since Congress passively approved the District's long-delayed medical marijuana program, advocates plan on airing their grievances at the pace of the program's implementation and a number of rules that they call overly restrictive. In a letter published today by Kayley Whalen from Safe Access D.C., the advocates called the delays "unacceptable."
[T]here is still no legal medical marijuana for the sick patients in the District of Columbia and it's unlikely there will be any medicine available in the near future. It has been over a month since the District of Columbia Department of Health received over eighty letters of intent for five dispensary and ten cultivation center licenses, but there has been no communication with any stakeholders or patients since April. The Medical Marijuana Advisory Committee, which is statutorily obligated to issue a report on the District's medical cannabis program by January 1, 2012, has not even been selected. This continued delay is unacceptable.
The letter also complained that the prohibition on home cultivation has further slowed patients' access to medical marijuana. The rules allow only 10 cultivation centers and five dispensaries; cultivation centers will only be able to grow 95 plants each and patients will only get two ounces of marijuana a month. (This can be changed, though.)
While the rollout of the program has indeed been slow -- initial rules regulating the program were first published last August, and the city hinted that medical marijuana would be available by mid-2011 -- city officials are asking for patience as they navigate the minefield of potential congressional and federal intervention.
Representatives from agencies that would oversee the program met two weeks ago in the Wilson Building to discuss whether the city's program as currently structured would trigger any federal response, especially in light of the recent DOJ memo that seemed to end the Obama administration's permissive attitude towards state-led medical marijuana programs. One person with knowledge of internal discussions told DCist that D.C. Attorney General Irv Nathan has also been in contact with the DOJ.
Though people we spoke to admitted that the District's program is small and restrictive enough to likely escape federal scrutiny, no one wants to take chances, especially since the DOJ memo opens the door for prosecution of those who "knowingly facilitate" the cultivation marijuana, whether for medicinal uses or not. The Department of Health is currently working on a new set of rules -- the last set came out in April -- for the program, which should be published soon. Additionally, a five-person committee that will judge applications for licenses to run dispensaries and cultivation centers should also be up and running in the near future.
Despite delays, officials have stressed that Mayor Vince Gray wants the medical marijuana program to be implemented. Whether that happens before 2012, though, is up in the air, and advocates are doubtful. Should it kick off next year, though, a full 14 years will have passed since District voters overwhelmingly voted for an initiative allowing medical marijuana in the city.
News Hawk- Jacob Ebel 420 MAGAZINE
Source: dcist.com
Author: Martin Austermuhle
Contact: Contact Us
Copyright: Gothamist LLC.
Website: As Medical Marijuana Advocates Wait, D.C. Pleads for Patience
On July 27, a year to the day since Congress passively approved the District's long-delayed medical marijuana program, advocates plan on airing their grievances at the pace of the program's implementation and a number of rules that they call overly restrictive. In a letter published today by Kayley Whalen from Safe Access D.C., the advocates called the delays "unacceptable."
[T]here is still no legal medical marijuana for the sick patients in the District of Columbia and it's unlikely there will be any medicine available in the near future. It has been over a month since the District of Columbia Department of Health received over eighty letters of intent for five dispensary and ten cultivation center licenses, but there has been no communication with any stakeholders or patients since April. The Medical Marijuana Advisory Committee, which is statutorily obligated to issue a report on the District's medical cannabis program by January 1, 2012, has not even been selected. This continued delay is unacceptable.
The letter also complained that the prohibition on home cultivation has further slowed patients' access to medical marijuana. The rules allow only 10 cultivation centers and five dispensaries; cultivation centers will only be able to grow 95 plants each and patients will only get two ounces of marijuana a month. (This can be changed, though.)
While the rollout of the program has indeed been slow -- initial rules regulating the program were first published last August, and the city hinted that medical marijuana would be available by mid-2011 -- city officials are asking for patience as they navigate the minefield of potential congressional and federal intervention.
Representatives from agencies that would oversee the program met two weeks ago in the Wilson Building to discuss whether the city's program as currently structured would trigger any federal response, especially in light of the recent DOJ memo that seemed to end the Obama administration's permissive attitude towards state-led medical marijuana programs. One person with knowledge of internal discussions told DCist that D.C. Attorney General Irv Nathan has also been in contact with the DOJ.
Though people we spoke to admitted that the District's program is small and restrictive enough to likely escape federal scrutiny, no one wants to take chances, especially since the DOJ memo opens the door for prosecution of those who "knowingly facilitate" the cultivation marijuana, whether for medicinal uses or not. The Department of Health is currently working on a new set of rules -- the last set came out in April -- for the program, which should be published soon. Additionally, a five-person committee that will judge applications for licenses to run dispensaries and cultivation centers should also be up and running in the near future.
Despite delays, officials have stressed that Mayor Vince Gray wants the medical marijuana program to be implemented. Whether that happens before 2012, though, is up in the air, and advocates are doubtful. Should it kick off next year, though, a full 14 years will have passed since District voters overwhelmingly voted for an initiative allowing medical marijuana in the city.
News Hawk- Jacob Ebel 420 MAGAZINE
Source: dcist.com
Author: Martin Austermuhle
Contact: Contact Us
Copyright: Gothamist LLC.
Website: As Medical Marijuana Advocates Wait, D.C. Pleads for Patience
