Editor's Note: Update: According to the D.C. Council website, the hearing is scheduled for 11 a.m. Watch the hearing live here.
TODAY at 10 a.m. ET, council members will hear testimony on a measure that would create a regulated marijuana market for adults 21 years of age and older
[Press Release] Â WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Council of the District of Columbia will hold a joint committee hearing Monday on a bill that would regulate and tax marijuana similarly to alcohol.
The “Marijuana Legalization and Regulation Act of 2015”, B21-023, would establish a regulatory infrastructure for the production and sale of marijuana to adults 21 years of age and older in D.C. It would also create a dedicated fund for excise and sales tax revenue, and beginning in FY2017, the first $350,000 collected every three months would be directed to the D.C. Youth Court. The next $500,000 collected every three months would be used for drug and alcohol prevention and treatment, and any remaining revenue would go to the general fund. Licensing fees and other non-tax revenues would be retained by the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration to cover the costs of administering the regulatory system.
“The goal here is to actually start controlling marijuana in D.C.,” said Robert Capecchi, deputy director of state policies for the Marijuana Policy Project, who will be testifying in support of the proposal. “This is a substance that poses far less harm than alcohol to the consumer and to society. It should be sold by licensed businesses in a regulated market, not criminals in the underground market.”
In November, District voters approved a ballot measure 70-30 to remove all penalties for possession and home cultivation of limited amounts of marijuana by adults 21 years of age and older.
“District voters are ready to end marijuana prohibition,” Capecchi said. “We hope the council members they elected are, too. It’s time for the nation’s capital to adopt a sensible marijuana policy that sets a good example for jurisdictions around the country.”
Source: Marijuana Policy Project
