WASHINGTON DC MARIJUANA (District of Columbia city council votes to decriminalize pot)

• published: 05 Feb 2014
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The District of Columbia's city council voted on Tuesday (February 4) to decriminalize marijuana in a move that would make smoking a joint in the U.S. capital a violation comparable to a parking ticket. The proposal would eliminate criminal penalties for marijuana possession. The proposed $25 fine for having less than an ounce of pot is smaller than most city parking tickets. People smoking in public would be fined $100, and minors would have a letter sent to their parents. The bill passed 11-1 in the first of two council votes. The second vote could take place as soon as February 18, or at the next scheduled hearing on March 4, a spokesman for Councilmember Tommy Wells said. To become law, the bill must also be approved by Democratic Mayor Vincent Gray, who has voiced support for the measure. Supporters have portrayed decriminalization in Washington as a way to cut law enforcement costs and increase fairness. A study by the American Civil Liberties Union has shown that eight times more black people are arrested for pot possession in the nation's capital than people of other races. "We've had a long period of social and racial injustice related to the war on drugs, especially when it comes to marijuana. Ninety-one percent of the arrests in D.C. related to small amounts of marijuana are African Americans. And you can't tell me with six universities, not to stereotype, that the only people smoking pot are African American youth," City Councilmember Tommy Wells, who sponsored the bill, said. Possession of marijuana in Washington is now a misdemeanor carrying up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine, except for the handful of patients who use medical marijuana. The starting price for medical marijuana in the District is about $300 an ounce. If the proposed measure gets final approval, Washington would join 15 U.S. states and a handful of cities that have removed the threat of arrest for possession of small amounts of marijuana Spencera Simpkins said she was humiliated when she was arrested for possession of marijuana. "The undercovers just jumped out and just told me to get up against the car and when they searched me, and upon searching me, they found a marijuana J. And then I was arrested and I was taken to First District, where I was processed," Simpkins said in an interview outside the hearing room. Stuart Anderson, who heads an organization called Family and Friends of Incarcerated people, gathered with other activists outside the D.C. government building before the vote. He said the real problem with being arrested for possession of small amounts of marijuana is that it can easily change the course of a young person's life. "The average kid is going to have a joint. Two or three of them are going to get together and buy a bag, a five dollar bag. And if the police run down on them, they're going to lock those kids up, they're going to get a record, that's their first possession. They're going to lock them up again, that's their second possession, and then their third possession, depending on their age, they're going to some juvenile facility or they're going to jail," Anderson said. While applauding the council vote, Adam Eidinger, of the D.C. Cannibis Campaign, said it doesn't go far enough. "This is long overdue. It's a shame it's 2014 and we're finally getting decrim. We need legalization. That's what we need," Eidinger said. Marijuana is illegal under federal law, but 20 U.S. states and the District of Columbia allow medical marijuana use. Colorado and Washington state have legalized recreational use. President Barack Obama said in a New Yorker magazine interview last month that smoking marijuana was a "bad habit," but thought penalties fell disproportionately on minorities. States legalizing pot should go ahead with their plans, he said.