
What?!?! You mean to say The Donald actually pulled a fast one on us Anarchist and he is in fact that cool? He is passing out 4200 joints for his speech. Nope, sorry, The Donald still sucks, but don't worry there will still be 4200 free joints being passed out in protest of national marijuana prohibition. Local group DCMJ largely responsible for marijuana legalization in DC plans to pass out some of DC's finest cannabis to let our voices be heard, or in this case smelt as we blaze up the city 4 minuets and 20 seconds into Trumps inauguration speech
You are cordially invited to join DCMJ for the inaugural #Trump420 taking place on January 20, 2017 in Washington, DC!
We will gather on the west side of Dupont Circle at 8am for coffee and tea and parade down to the National Mall at 10am. Along the way we'll hand out 4,200 joints of legally grown cannabis! At 4 minutes and 20 seconds into President Trump's speech we'll light up! (unless President Trump comes out now in support of full cannabis legalization in all 50 States and DC!)
We legalized cannabis in Washington, DC and we are not going to let anyone take that away from us! This is an outreach opportunity to show President Trump's supporters we are the marijuana majority! Join us for smokin' fun time!
Washington DC Marijuana Laws
In November 2014, District voters approved the Legalization of Possession of Minimal Amounts of Marijuana for Personal Use Initiative (commonly known as Initiative 71). The new law becomes effective on February 26, 2015.
As of 12:01 am on Thursday, February 26, 2015, the possession of small amounts of marijuana is legal in the District of Columbia - in some circumstances - for adults 21 years of age and older.
It is legal for a person who is at least 21 years old to:
- Possess two ounces or less of marijuana
- Transfer one ounce or less of marijuana to another person who is at least 21 years old, so long as there is no payment made or any other type of exchange of goods or services
- Cultivate within their residence up to six marijuana plants, no more than three of which are mature;
- Possess marijuana-related drug paraphernalia associated with one ounce or less of marijuana
- Use marijuana on private property.
A person can still be arrested for:
- Selling any amount of marijuana to another person
- Possessing more than two ounces of marijuana
- Operating a vehicle or boat under the influence of marijuana
- Smoking, eating, or drinking marijuana in any public space -- such as:
- on any street, sidewalk, alley, park, or parking area including in a vehicle
- or any place to which the public is invited.
- Marijuana possession by persons under 21 years of age is not allowed
The Prohibition Protest
DCMJ's leader, Adam Eidinger, said its members will be giving away the joints, which is legal. They will not tell people to break the law by smoking in public. But, he added, he thought the idea of smoking them publicly would be 'a great act of civil disobedience in light of the silence on marijuana reform coming from the Trump administration.'
'We would love not to do this,' Eidinger said. 'We feel compelled to do it, and if we heard any sign from Donald Trump that he was serious about reform and Jeff Sessions was serious about reform ... we would call it off.'
The group plans to work within the confines of D.C. law, it said. It is asking supporters to arrive with up to 2 ounces each of prepared joints to distribute -- but no more.
Group members plan to hold rolling parties in preparation for the big day and, Eidinger said, participants will take home what they roll and distribute it on Inauguration Day. When they give out joints that morning, they will be checking IDs to make sure that all recipients are at least 21 years old, as mandated by the district's law.
'We're going to show the public how it can be done safely without giving it away to kids,' he said.
So far, Eidinger said, he has 25 people committed to distributing the joints on Inauguration Day and, based on his group's previous rallies and events, he is prepared for a much larger turnout -- as many as 5,000 people.
'We'll run out,' he said.
Even if the recipients go back to their homes to smoke and then return for the inauguration, rather than smoke in public, he said, it will still be a presence.
'You will smell it, and it should be really interesting to see how it goes down,' Eidinger said.
The Metropolitan Police Department is 'aware of the situation and monitoring it,' said its public relations spokeswoman Karimah Bilal.
She said that anyone caught smoking marijuana in public could receive a citation, which could include a fine, typically , or be summoned to court.
Eidinger has stated that he is offering to pay the fine for anyone who is arrested as a result of the group's plans, but he said he expects police are 'going to take a tolerance policy.'
The group is calling on supporters and marijuana enthusiasts to meet outside Dupont Circle as early as 7:00 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 20, for coffee and tea and to distribute the joints.
'We're not judging people who come and get weed and go home and watch the inauguration,' Eidinger said.
The inauguration is not the only upcoming political event that DCMJ plans to attend.
Although DCMJ has stated they are not anti-Trump, they have been highly critical of President-elect Trump's choice of Jeff Sessions, who is staunchly anti-legalization, for Attorney General and have been lobbying members of Congress against confirming him for that position. At a Senate hearing in April 2016, Sessions said that 'good people don't smoke marijuana' and it is 'not the kind of thing that ought to be legalized.' Eidinger said members will be 'sitting in line for three days' to make sure that they get seats in the audience for Session's confirmation hearing, which is scheduled for Jan. 10 and 11.
'It's going to smell like marijuana in that hearing because we will smell like marijuana because we're going to smoke legally before it.'
'We are forced to do this type of publicity stunt because the Trump administration hasn't mentioned marijuana once since he was elected,' said DCMJ founder Adam Eidinger. 'It reminds people that the public wants change, and the politicians aren't doing it.'
I'm just gonna leave this here so we can all see how dangerous this man is.
Sources & Methodology(3 sources)
Washington DC police department's official marijuana information and regulations page.
RT USA reporting on the DCMJ 4,200 free joints inauguration protest.
Daily Dot coverage of the DCMJ plan to hand out 4,200 free joints at Trump's inauguration.
Methodology
Compiled from DCMJ press releases, Metropolitan Police Department statements, and direct reporting on DCMJ's planned inauguration day event.
Filed Under
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the #Trump420 event?
- The #Trump420 event is organized by DCMJ, a local Washington D.C. marijuana advocacy group. Participants plan to gather on the west side of Dupont Circle at 8am, parade to the National Mall at 10am, and distribute 4,200 joints of legally grown cannabis. At exactly 4 minutes and 20 seconds into President Trump's inauguration speech, participants plan to light up in protest of the administration's silence on marijuana reform.
- Is distributing marijuana at the inauguration legal?
- Under Washington D.C.'s Initiative 71, adults 21 and over may possess up to two ounces of marijuana, transfer up to one ounce to another adult without payment, and use marijuana on private property. The distribution of joints as a gift is legal under D.C. law; however, smoking marijuana in public spaces -- such as streets, sidewalks, parks, or any place to which the public is invited -- remains illegal. DCMJ stated they would not be telling people to break the law.
- Who is DCMJ and what do they want?
- DCMJ is a local advocacy group largely responsible for the legalization of marijuana in Washington D.C. through Initiative 71, which passed in November 2014 and took effect February 26, 2015. Led by Adam Eidinger, the group is particularly concerned about President Trump's nomination of Jeff Sessions for Attorney General, given Sessions' staunchly anti-legalization stance. At an April 2016 Senate hearing Sessions said 'good people don't smoke marijuana' and that it 'is not the kind of thing that ought to be legalized.'
- What is the risk for participants who smoke publicly?
- The Metropolitan Police Department stated they are 'aware of the situation and monitoring it.' Anyone caught smoking marijuana in public could receive a citation, which typically carries a fine or a summons to court. DCMJ leader Adam Eidinger offered to pay the fine for anyone arrested as a result of the group's plans, though he expected police to 'take a tolerance policy.' The group emphasized they would card participants to ensure no one under 21 received joints.
