Oh that smell, can’t you smell that smell?
The 2017 inauguration for President Trump takes place in Washington D.C. in a little over a week, and cannabis supporters are making a point – by handing out 4,200 joints to onlookers at the National Mall.
DCMJ, a D.C. cannabis advocacy group, is organizing the event. Their objective is to remind Trump and his fellow politicians that there’s a ‘marijuana majority’ in America.
“We legalized cannabis in Washington, DC and we are not going to let anyone take that away from us,” reads the invitation.
READ MORE: Pro-Pot Group to Hold Seed Share Outside the White House
The gathering starts at 8 o’clock in the morning on January 20, on the west side of Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C. Following some coffee and tea, DCMJ will lead their legion of supporters to the National Mall, joints in hand.
One Washingtonian, Elizabeth Croydon, said she rolls up a little bit of hope into each doobie she gets her hands on, as she volunteers her time to roll joints for the cause.
“If you do it at four minutes and 20 seconds into his speech people will know when they smell it that it is a demonstration for marijuana reform,” Adam Eidenger, a lead organizer, said.
DCMJ is giving away the joints, and local headshop Capitol Hemp is giving away free rolling papers. They are currently recruiting rollers to volunteer some time for the cause.
Commander in kief
Cannabis growers, such as Honest Marijuana Company, are hopeful about a Trump presidency.
“The marijuana market is a new and burgeoning industry already riddled with stringent regulations, high license fees, and more competition flooding in all the time,” said founder Anthony Franciosi.
The independent American craft cannabis grower believes they will be protected, and Trump will keep big pharmaceutical and multinational corporations out of the equation.
“Any crackdown on the cannabis industry from this administration will be aimed at the people operating on the fringes of the new legal marijuana systems being implemented,” Franciosi added.
Repeat defenders
DCMJ also organized a smoke-out on April 2, 2016 in front of the White House. They encouraged protesters to smoke, vape, and eat the herb in front of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue to get the President’s attention.
READ MORE: Advocates #Reschedule420 for Change
It’s about legalization, which requires the President or Congress to take the plant off the list of federally banned substances.
It got them a meeting, dubbed the ‘Bud Summit’, with White House representatives in 2016. Eidinger and his cannabis coalition were pleased with some progress, but frustrated it didn’t come with any further actions.
The point of the joints
Let’s drop the stoner puns and get serious.
It’s important for journalists to understand the differences between local and federal laws when it comes to cannabis, because it’s critical to understanding the policies these protesters are trying to reform.
Instead of focusing on the act of civil disobedience, headlines should focus on the issues facing state-legal businesses trying to operate in an industry that’s developed from the sale of a federally illegal, schedule 1 substance.
