Thor Benson / Cannabis News Box Contributor

It’s not currently legal to consume cannabis in public in Washington, D.C., despite the fact the city legalized cannabis in 2015. Because of this, many people have been arrested over public consumption over the last few years. That’s about to change because D.C. police are changing policies so that residents will be given a citation if they consume in public instead of being arrested.

“It will reduce arrests but increase the enforcement as police will be on the streets more and not booking people,” Adam Eidinger, co-founder of the cannabis advocacy group DCMJ, told Cannabis News Box. “If you don’t appear to pay the fine, you are looking at a possible warrant for arrest. It’s still illegal to smoke in public, and government is gonna get you one way or the other to be booked, photographed and fingerprinted.”

Many cannabis advocates think it should be legal to consume in public, but they see this as a small step in the right direction. Washington doesn’t have autonomy in terms of how its laws are enacted, because Congress has oversight over this, so many cannabis advocates in the city are upset that they haven’t been able to push legalization efforts further, including by setting up social use sales.

“The Andy Harris Congressional Budget Rider is preventing democracy from working here,” Eidinger said. “The community has numerous solutions for sale, taxing, and social use, but we can get a vote in the D.C. Council due to the congressional interference.”

Eidinger said the best solution to the many cannabis-related issues the city faces would be the federal rescheduling of cannabis so it’s not a Schedule I drug in the Controlled Substances Act. Besides that, D.C. advocates would like to reform how the city currently operates by allowing for more local control and less interference by Congress. They do not see why the federal government should be allowed to get involved in local politics in this way.

Eidinger is part of an effort to oust Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD) because Harris has blocked much of these possible reforms from going forward. He has influence over D.C. policy and has not been a friend to cannabis advocates. Perhaps after November cannabis advocates will be able to look forward to a more friendly representative in Congress. Until then, residents can at least know that they won’t be arrested for consuming cannabis in public because of the police changing their policies.