In many instances around the country both states and local municipal governments have elected to completely decriminalize cannabis or at least possession of small amounts of cannabis. With this being said, on the federal level cannabis is still considered a Schedule 1 Controlled Substance. This means cannabis is still categorized with heavy drugs such as heroin, methamphetamine and LSD just to name a few. If you ever have consumed cannabis or know someone who does, it is hard to imagine that cannabis is considered a dangerous drug.
With that being said, federal agents and law enforcement are not trained to have a casual conversation with stoners but rather they are still looking to arrest and prosecute users of cannabis because of its legal positioning. Per Initiative 71, in the city of Washington D.C. it is legal to posses, consume and cultivate cannabis in areas not accessible to the public. The concepts introduced by initiative 71 created space for a concept called gifting cannabis. However, it is still illegal to consume cannabis in public spaces. If you know anything about Washington D.C., you know that federal property is intermingled all throughout the city. Someone could easily have one foot on city property and one foot on federal grounds without even knowing it. Everyone has seen pictures of Snoop Dogg smoking in front of the white house, but if you are traveling to Washington D.C. and plan to smoke by any federal landmark you should cancel that plan.
As amazing as it sounds to spark up a fat one while statues of political leaders and our founding fathers look down on you, it will lead to nothing but jail time. We’re not going to lie to you, Washington D.C. does look a little bit better after a joint or two, just make sure you’re smoking that joint in a private and safe space before you go out. If you need some ideas on what where to go and what to see in Washington D.C. after you consume, check out our list of favorite landmarks to visit while elevated.
