Washington D.C. Mayor Planning for Cannabis Legalization in 2021?

While low-level possession of marijuana has been legal for adults over 21 in D.C., no law currently exists for the sale of cannabis products there. However, according to a post on Marijuana Moment, the mayor of D.C.’s 2021 budget gives some clues that she may be expecting commercial legalization to come to the nation’s capital relatively soon. The budget calls for a number of moves and funding that address cannabis sales.

Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) released the city’s 2021 fiscal year budget yesterday, and it includes plans for moving regulatory responsibility and funding for cannabis regulations from the Department of Health to the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration. Additionally, the budget includes language that would establish a Medical Cannabis Administration Fund to collect funds from MMJ licensing, permitting and registration fees.

The mayor and most of the city council are in favor of legalization in D.C. and have been for years. But because Washington, D.C. is not a state, Congress and the federal government has the final say on such laws and policies, and they have continually blocked legalization efforts there.