Editor's Note: It seems the Council is quite sure D.C.'s ballot Initiative 71 is going to pass … and they're trying to prepare for what their response will be. As the Marijuana Policy Project Deputy Director of State Policies Robert Capecchi says, "Marijuana is going to be sold in our nation’s capital one way or another.”
Council committees will hear testimony on provisions regarding licensing and regulations for cultivation facilities and adult retail marijuana stores, as well as a dedicated fund for marijuana business taxes and fees.
[Press Release] WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Washington, D.C. Council will hold a joint committee hearing Thursday on a bill that would make possession of marijuana legal for adults 21 years of age and older and establish a system in which marijuana is regulated and taxed similarly to alcohol.
The Committee on Business, Consumer, and Regulatory Affairs and the Committee on Finance and Revenue will hear testimony regarding sections 6, 7, 8, and 9 of B20-466, the Marijuana Legalization and Regulation Act of 2013, which was introduced last year by Councilman David Grosso.
Those sections would amend District code to establish the regulatory infrastructure for the production and sale of marijuana and marijuana products in D.C. They would also create a dedicated fund, which would consist of excise taxes, license fees, and all other revenues received by the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration from marijuana-related activities.
“Marijuana is going to be sold in our nation’s capital one way or another,” said Robert Capecchi, deputy director of state policies for the Marijuana Policy Project. “We can regulate it, as this bill would do, or we can continue to force it into the underground market where we have no control over it. It is time to take marijuana sales out of the hands of criminals and put them behind the counters of licensed, taxpaying businesses.”
“Polling shows that District residents do not think adults should be punished simply for using a substance that is safer than alcohol,” Capecchi said. “It’s time for the nation’s capital to adopt a sensible marijuana policy that sets a good example for other jurisdictions around the country.”
WHAT: City Council joint committee hearing on B20-466, the Marijuana Legalization and Regulation Act of 2013
WHEN: Thursday, October 30, 11 a.m. ET
WHERE: Wilson Building, Room 500
WHO: Committee on Business, Consumer, and Regulatory Affairs
Committee on Finance and Revenue
Robert Capecchi, Marijuana Policy Project
