DC Mayor approves bill to give tourists access to medical marijuana

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Tourists visiting the capital won’t get into trouble for consuming marijuana

If you are planning to visit the US capital, it is now possible that you can get a medical marijuana card and enjoy the benefits of this plant. A bill allowing non-residents to self-certify as medical marijuana patients has recently been signed by the mayor of Washington, DC. This means that tourists will not need to obtain a doctor’s recommendation. Supporters claim such a measure will make Washington’s tourism industry much broader.

Self-certification is already a privilege that District residents enjoy thanks to a law that was enacted over the summer as a way to effectively circumvent a rider to the Congressional spending bill. Since the reform went into effect, medical cannabis registrations have gone through the roof.

Now, Mayor Muriel Bowser has taken it upon herself to make that reform much broader and more open, regardless of whether you are a resident or not. At the beginning of the week, she put her signature on a temporary emergency bill that gives non-residents the ability to obtain a 30-day registration from the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA). During that period of time, they will be able to purchase cannabis and related products at licensed dispensaries.

This legislation had been unanimously approved in late September by the DC Council. It also provides that patients already registered in the medical marijuana program in other states may be eligible for full registration, just like District residents. It further increases the amount a patient can possess from four to eight ounces.