“In many prohibition states, a significant portion of law enforcement and prosecutorial resources are still being directed toward arresting tens of thousands of cannabis consumers for activities that are now perfectly legal in nearly half of this country.”
“Today, the threat of arrest for cannabis possession largely comes down to geography.”
Rescheduling could have an outsized impact on the legal marijuana market in the nation’s capital.
“Members of the DC City government continue to prioritize policies that both advance and protect the freedoms of responsible cannabis consumers. These policies include providing patients with convenient access to regulated medical cannabis products, prohibiting certain employers from discriminating against those who use cannabis while off the job, and providing legal relief to those with past, low-level marijuana convictions.”
The Act provides for the automatic review and expungement of any convictions or citations specific to marijuana-related offenses that have subsequently been decriminalized or legalized in the District of Columbia. It requires all cannabis-specific expungements to be processed by the courts by January 1, 2025.
City lawmakers have provided final approval to a pair of bills that seek to significantly reform marijuana laws in the District of Columbia. But both bills still must undergo a 30-day Congressional review prior to becoming law.
Over 22,000 DC residents are legally authorized to access medical cannabis.
The Act states, “A public employer may not refuse to hire, terminate from employment, penalize, fail to promote, or otherwise take adverse employment action against an individual based upon the individual’s status as a qualifying patient.”