The Council of the District of Columbia voted unanimously to make marijuana available to chronically ill patients in Washington, DC. In a cosmic coincidence, the action took place on April 20th, World Marijuana Day. Heavy. The Council will take a final vote on the measure later this month.
If the bill passes the final vote, Washington doctors will be allowed to prescribe up to 2 or 2.5 ounces per month for each qualified patient, and prescriptions will be filled by licensed distribution centers. There will be between 2 and 8 of these dispensaries. If enough NIMBYs fear a decline in property values, there will be 2; if citizens think these new amenities are groovy, there will be 8, one in each ward.
Private cultivation of cannabis sativa will still be illegal, but licensed growers will be permitted to raise up to 95 plants each, no doubt in heavily fortified indoor facilities.
Although several states have similar laws and this measure does not involve federal funds, Congress is allowed to meddle in local DC legislation anyway. After interfering in a local referendum, Congress permitted consideration of the measure in DC, but expect some grandstanding on the Hill.
More on 4/20 here.
Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com
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Tags: cannibis, District of Columbia, drugs, health care, marihuana, marijuana, medical marijuana, pot, Washington DC
NotionsCapital 
April 22, 2010 at 3:03 pm
Update:
“420 vote a ‘coincidence,’ Catania says,” Washington Post blog.