While marijuana has been decriminalized since July, 2014 in the District, as of Thursday, February 26th, weed will be officially legal for recreational use. Now, this certainly doesn’t mean that you can be carrying around a full pound of weed on the Metro – with the passing of Initiative 71 comes limitations to the new law.
You gotta be 21.
Most college students who came here straight out of high school aren’t 21 until their junior or senior year. So, freshmen, don’t rejoice quite yet. Like consumption of alcohol, you won’t be able to have weed until you’re 21 years or older.
Stick to the passenger seat.
You can’t drink and drive. You can’t text and drive. You can’t smoke and drive.
You can have up to three mature plants.
You’re allowed to grow weed as long as it’s on private property. Keep in mind this isn’t Humboldt County – you’ll be allowed to have in possession up to three mature plants, but no more than six marijuana plants, total.
No more than two ounces.
People of legal age are allowed to have up to two ounces in possession, but – like with growing and owning plants – only on private property. So that means no smoking on the street corner or the smoking areas of restaurants. No smoking on federally owned land. The living room of your house is A-OK.
Dealing is still illegal.
You want to give some to your friend, that’s fine, but they have to be of legal age, and they can’t pay you in any way. That includes money, goods, and/or services. They can’t give you money or a meal swipe, and they can’t clean out your dorm for you.
You still can’t smoke on AU’s campus.
Just because weed is recreationally legal in DC, American University is a totally smoke-free campus. While you might not get in trouble with metro police, campus police aren’t going to let you off easy. And keep in mind that if you’re underage, smoking weed recreationally is completely illegal – not just by AU’s smoke-free campus standards.
Even if AU weren’t a smoke-free campus, dorms are considered public housing units. Which means they’re not technically private property – and thus no smoking allowed. If you’re living in the Berks or the Av, keep in mind this applies to you, too.