Legalization of marijuana has been talked about in many parts of the world. Many countries made the move to legalize its use and many more are making initiatives to do the same. It is a subject of many debates since there are still people who oppose the normalization of marijuana use among people.
The differences in stands and opinions are most of the time caused by differing beliefs and moral principles among people. There are people who continue to oppose marijuana use because of the belief that it is not good for an individual.
Effects Of Marijuana
Cannabis is known for the “high” effect it gives due to its psychoactive tendencies from its chemical component called THC. This “high” is somehow related to inconsistent behaviors and practices that used to cause harm or danger to people and the individual. For example, driving under the influence of marijuana can blur a driver’s judgment of reality. This can be dangerous for the driver and other drivers on the road as it can cause accidents.
Smoking marijuana can easily get it to your bloodstream therefore making faster effects felt for an individual. It may take seconds or minutes to start kicking in and may last up to 3 hours. The effects usually depend on the amount of marijuana contained in your consumption.
State Of Weed Consumption In D.C.
Weed in Washington D.C. is one of the first, if not the first, states to move towards the legalization of marijuana in the United States. This was made possible through a voters’ initiative in 2004 called Initiative 71. Initiative 71 or I71 aimed to legalize the use of recreational marijuana in D.C.
This initiative allowed the consumption of marijuana in D.C. along with some conditions and rules. Some of them are stated below:
- Only adult individuals aged 21 years and older are allowed to use marijuana
- Selling of marijuana is strictly prohibited
- Adult individuals are allowed to plant and cultivate marijuana plants in their own homes but only up to 6 plants and only 3 of them should be mature at a time.
- Instead of selling, marijuana is given through free gifts along with other products or services that are purchased. For example, it can be given as freebies when dining at a restaurant.
- Growing of marijuana plants was solely for personal use and not for mass production under Initiative 71. Since it is not allowed for business and trading, personal cultivation was encouraged.
- Using marijuana in public such as smoking is highly prohibited and violating individuals can be fined.
- Every individual is allowed to possess only up to 2 ounces of weed.
Despite being legalized, marijuana usage was highly controlled in Washington D.C. The rules and regulations imposed by D.C. have also hindered the possibility of dispensaries to be built. Therefore, marijuana users depend on their personally cultivated supply or from minimal gifting from establishments. At the moment, many talks are being done for the possible revision of the initiative to allow a less strict usage of marijuana.
