District of Columbia Medical Marijuana Laws, Qualification Guidelines, and ID Card Information

The State of District of Columbia has a legalized medical marijuana program, which allows you to receive a marijuana recommendation from a certified physician, apply for a State-issued Medical Marijuana ID Card, and grow and/or purchase marijuana for medicinal use per state guidelines. We have compiled the following index of information to serve as a library to our users for legal reference of their District of Columbia’s laws and guidelines regarding Medical Cannabis.

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.

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 3^rd 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.