Washington D.C. Medical Marijuana Laws

District of Columbia Marijuana Penalties

Offense

Penalty

Incarceration

Max. Fine

Possession>
Personal Use
Any Amount Misdemeanor 6 months

$1,000

*If it is your first conviction, the charges will be expunged after completion.
Sale, Distribution or Cultivation
Less than ½ lb (First offense) Not Classified 6 months

$ 1,000

Any Amount Not Classified 5 years

$ 50,000

Hash & Concentrates
Possession Not Classified 180 days

$ 1,000

Manufacture Not Classified 5 years

$ 50,000

Civil Asset Forfeiture
All substances, raw materials, products, equipment, property, vehicles, research products, paraphernalia, money and other assets can be seized.
Paraphernalia
Possessing Paraphernalia Not Classified 30 days

$ 100

Selling Paraphernalia Not Classified 2 years

$5,000


District of Columbia Medical Marijuana Facts DC Medical Marijuana Statistics and Marijuana Facts

The people in living in the nation’s capital were actually among the first to demand a medical marijuana program and, in 1998, 70% voted for a ballot measure authorizing it. However, as it is not an actual state, an unfortunate fact about medical marijuana in DC was congress’s power to simply nullify the popular decision, which it exercised to kill the measure. More than a decade later, the City Council unanimously approved the Legalization of Marijuana for Medical Treatment Amendment. It was signed by the Mayor on May 21, 2010. Since neither the US House nor Senate moved to stop the law, it became effective 30 days later. While the city first promised to have an operational program by mid-2011, there was in fact almost no movement for a full year after the law was signed. Finally, In August 2011, the D.C. Department of Health began accepting applications for the 10 planned cultivation centers and 5 dispensaries that will supply the city.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA MEDICAL MARIJUANA FACTS 2011:

  • The law allows Delaware patients to possess up to 2 ounces of dried marijuana but it must be purchased from a dispensary. As none are currently operational, any possession, even with a doctor’s recommendation is currently still illegal.
  • Currently, only cancer, HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis and glaucoma are specifically listed as qualifying conditions for a Delaware marijuana card.
  •  Those seeking to run one of the cultivation centers or dispensaries must pay a $5000 fee simply to apply.
  •  The 10 planned cultivation centers will be allowed to grow up to 95 marijuana plants each, however they will not be able to distribute any of the marijuana. That will be left up to the 5 dispensaries the city has said it will license.
  • Authorities are hoping to award licenses for cultivation centers by February 2011 and dispensary licenses by April 2012. Earlier promises to have the program fully operational by mid-2012 are unlikely to be met.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA MARIJUANA USE FACTS:

  • Statistics from 2007 indicate that Washington DC had highest marijuana arrest rate in the nation at 677 arrests per 100,000 residents.
  •  It was estimated that there were 78,000 cannabis users in the District of Columbia that year.
  •  Marijuana prohibition fact: According to estimates, marijuana arrests cost D.C. taxpayers more than $60 million per year.
  •  Currently any possession of cannabis is punishable by up to 6 months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
  •  The rate of marijuana use in DC is the 3rd highest in the nation, as over 15% of the district’s population has reported marijuana use.

Injustice: Despite the fact that African-Americans in DC use marijuana at a rate just 1.7% higher than whites, statistics show that they are arrested 8 times a much and account for 91% of all marijuana possession arrests.


District of Columbia Medical Marijuana Card

WASHINGTON, DC MEDICAL MARIJUANA CARD PROGRAM

Through this program, medical marijuana patients must register with the Department of Health and receive a medical marijuana card AKA cannabis card or pot card. However, the Mayor and the Department of Health have yet to determine how the medical marijuana program will be run and it is not expected to be active before the end of 2010.

MarijuanaDoctors.com will keep you updated on how to get a marijuana card in Washington, DC.


District of Columbia Medical Marijuana Laws

Full Text of Amendment Act B18-622, AKA the "Legalization of Marijuana for Medical Treatment Amendment Act of 2010."

AN ACT IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA?______________________?To amend the Legalization of Marijuana for Medical Treatment Initiative of 1999 to define key terms, to clarify who is permitted to cultivate, possess, dispense, or use medical marijuana, to require a written recommendation from one’s physician, to restrict the use of medical marijuana, to protect physicians from sanctions for recommending medical marijuana, to establish a medical marijuana program, to establish requirements for dispensaries and cultivation centers, to authorize the Board of Medicine to audit physician recommendations and to discipline physicians who act outside of the law, to set out penalties for violating this act, to prohibit the public use of medical marijuana, to establish a Medical Marijuana Advisory Committee, to require fees collected to be applied toward administering this act, to establish liability provisions, to clarify that this act does not require any public or private insurance to cover medical marijuana, and to authorize the Mayor to issue rules; and to amend the District of Columbia Health Occupations Revision Act of 1985, the Health Clarifications Act of 2001, the District of Columbia Uniform Controlled Substances Act of 1981, and the Drug Paraphernalia Act of 1982 to make conforming amendments.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this act may be cited as the “Legalization of Marijuana for Medical Treatment Amendment Act of 2010”.

Sec. 2. The Legalization of Marijuana for Medical Treatment Initiative of 1999, effective February 25, 2010 (D.C. Law 13-315; 57 DCR 3360), is amended to read as follows:

“Sec. 2. Definitions.
“For the purposes of this act, the term:
“(1) “Administer” or “administration” means the direct introduction of medical marijuana, whether by inhalation, ingestion, or any other means, into the body of a person.

“(2) “Bona fide physician-patient relationship” means a relationship between a physician and patient in which the physician:
“(A) Has completed a full assessment of the patient's medical history and current medical condition, including a personal physical examination; and
“(B) Has responsibility for the ongoing care and treatment of the patient.

“(3) “Caregiver” means a person who:
“(A) Is designated by a qualifying patient as the person authorized, on the qualifying patient’s behalf, to possess, obtain from a dispensary, dispense, and assist in the administration of medical marijuana;
“(B) Is registered with the Department as the qualifying patient’s caregiver;
“(C) Is not currently serving as the caregiver for another qualifying patient; and
“(D) Is at least 18 years of age.

“(4) “Controlled Substances Act” means the District of Columbia Uniform Controlled Substances Act of 1981, effective August 5, 1981 (D.C. Law 4-29; D.C. Official Code § 48-901.02 et seq.).

“(5) “Cultivation center” means a facility operated by an organization or business registered with the Mayor pursuant to section 6 from or at which medical marijuana is cultivated, possessed, manufactured, and distributed in the form of medical marijuana, and paraphernalia is possessed and distributed to dispensaries.

“(7) “Dispensary” means a facility operated by an organization or business registered with the Mayor pursuant to section 6 from or at which medical marijuana is possessed and dispensed and paraphernalia is possessed and distributed to a qualifying patient or a caregiver.

“(8) “Dispense” means to distribute medical marijuana to a qualifying patient or caregiver pursuant to this act and the rules issued pursuant to section 14.

“(9) “Distribute” means the actual, constructive, or attempted transfer from one person to another.

“(10) “Manufacture” means the production, preparation, propagation, compounding, conversion, or processing of marijuana, either directly or indirectly by extraction from substances of natural origin, or independently by means of chemical synthesis, or by a combination of extraction and chemical synthesis, and includes any packaging or repackaging of the substance or labeling or re-labeling of its container.

“(11) “Marijuana” shall have the same meaning as provided in section 102(3)(A) of the Controlled Substances Act.

“(12) “Medical marijuana” means marijuana cultivated, manufactured, possessed, distributed, dispensed, obtained, or administered in accordance with this act and the rules issued pursuant to section 14.

Continue reading the full text of Amendment Act B18-622here.


District of Columbia Medical Marijuana Qualification

Who Qualifies for Medicinal Marijuana in District of Columbia

On May 4, 2010, the Council of the District of Columbia approved Amendment Act B18-622 in a vote of 13-0, which establishes the "Legalization of Marijuana for Medical Treatment Amendment Act of 2010." The Mayor signed the bill on May 21, 2010, and the law went into effect on July 27, 2010, after the Senate and the House both declined to overrule the bill during a 30-day Congressional review period. This law removes state-level criminal penalties on the use and possession of medical marijuana (also referred to as medical weed, medical pot or medical cannabis) by qualifying patients who obtain a recommendation from their physician. The law also requires patients to register with a medical marijuana program to obtain marijuana card. The Mayor and the Department of Health are still establishing the program. Unlike most Medical Marijuana States, Washington, DC will prohibit home cultivation of marijuana and require patients to obtain a limited amount of marijuana at DC-monitored dispensaries.

Read the full text of Amendment Act B18-622here.

HOW TO BECOME A MEDICAL MARIJUANA PATIENT IN WASHINGTON, DC

  • Must be a resident of Washington, DC and be diagnosed with a qualifying medical condition or be currently undergoing a qualifying medical treatment (see below).
  •  You must obtain legitimate medical records or documentation from your primary care physician describing their diagnosis. Learn how to request your medical records.
  •  Obtain an authenticated, written recommendationfrom a physician licensed in the state of Washington, DC, with whom you maintain a bona fide relationship with, stating that that you might benefit from the medical use of marijuana. Find a medical marijuana doctor in Washington, DC here.
  • The law also requires patients to register with Washington, DC’s medical marijuana program to obtain a Medical Marijuana card. The Mayor and the Department of Health are still establishing the program at this time.
  • Once you have obtained your marijuana card, you may purchase your medicine from a cannabis dispensary and possess up to two ounces of dried medical marijuana.

WHAT AILMENTS CAN BE TREATED WITH MEDICAL CANNABIS IN WASHINGTON, DC?

Patients in Washington, DC diagnosed with the following medical conditions are afforded legal protection under the Legalization of Marijuana for Medical Treatment Amendment Act of 2010: HIV/AIDS, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, cancer, or any other condition, as determined by rulemaking, that is: Chronic or long-lasting; Debilitating or interferes with the basic functions of life; and is a serious medical condition for which the use of medical marijuana is beneficial, that cannot be effectively treated by any ordinary medical or surgical measure; or for which there is scientific evidence that the use of medical marijuana is likely to be significantly less addictive than the ordinary medical treatment for that condition.Patients may also qualify by undergoing any of the following medical treatments: Chemotherapy; The use of azidothymidine or protease inhibitors; Radiotherapy; or any other treatment, as determined by rulemaking, whose side effects require treatment through the administration of medical marijuana in the same manner as a qualifying medical condition.

MEDICAL MARIJUANA ACCESS IN WASHINGTON, DC

Some medical marijuana patients will claim they have a doctor's prescription for medical marijuana, but marijuana prescriptions are in fact illegal. The federal government classifies marijuana as a schedule I drug. Therefore doctors are unable to prescribe marijuana to their patients, and medical marijuana patients cannot go to a pharmacy to fill a prescription for medical marijuana. Instead, medical marijuana physicians will supply patients with a medical marijuana recommendation in compliance with state law.Unlike most medical marijuana states, Washington, DC medical marijuana law does not allow for the cultivation of medical cannabis. Patients must obtain a set amount of medical marijuana at state-monitored cannabis dispensaries. The maximum amount of medical marijuana that any qualifying patient or caregiver may possess at any moment is two ounces of dried medical marijuana. Because Washington, DC only recently passed its medical marijuana law, the state is currently in the process of setting up its cannabis dispensaries.


District of Columbia Medical Marijuana

District of Columbia Medical Marijuana Laws, District of Columbia Medical Marijuana Qualifications and General District of Columbia Marijuana Information

The State of District of Columbia has a legalized medical marijuana program, which allows legal medical marijuana patients to receive a marijuana recommendation from a certified physician, apply for a State-issued District of Columbia Medical Marijuana ID Card, and grow and/or purchase marijuana for medicinal use per state guidelines. We have compiled the following index of medical marijuana information in District of Columbia to serve as a legal library to our users for legal reference of District of Columbia's laws and guidelines regarding Medical Cannabis.Please note that in order to become a legal medical marijuana patient you must first have a qualifying condition as outlined by the department of health services and/or department of justice. For a comprehensive list of District of Columbia's medical marijuana qualifying conditions you can visit our qualifying conditions section located on the top of our menu under "legal states".

Since the District of Columbia medical marijuana program is still changing their laws and new District of Columbia medical marijuana laws are being enacted on a monthly basis, please be sure to visit our site frequently to get the most updated laws as it pertains to the District of Columbia medical marijuana program.

Please click a corresponding link to find out more about your District of Columbia's Medical Marijuana Program.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA QUALIFICATION

Find out Who Qualifies for Marijuana in District of Columbia in our definitive guide of District of Columbia's qualification guidelines. Read up on medical conditions that are covered under District of Columbia's medical marijuana program, age restrictions, criminal conviction restrictions, and more.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA MEDICAL MARIJUANA LAWS

Read District of Columbia's Full Medical Marijuana Laws to gain full specific knowledge of District of Columbia's exact legal guidelines without interpretation. We suggest that you print District of Columbia's Full Medicinal Marijuana Laws for use with our MyDoc program in order to provide your physician full insight into District of Columbia's laws for his knowledge.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA MEDICAL MARIJUANA CARD

Find out how to obtain a{n} District of Columbia Medical Marijuana Card with our guide to District of Columbia's state medicinal marijuana ID program. Some states require that you obtain your card prior to obtaining your medicine, so read here first to ensure that you know District of Columbia's requirements.

Michael J Fox , Cannabis and Parkinsons

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