What to know about pot becoming legal in D.C.

WASHINGTON — Recreational use of marijuana becomes legal in the nation's capital Thursday.

In November, District of Columbia voters approved Initiative 71, which legalized recreational pot use. The District joins Alaska, Colorado and Washington state in making the drug legal.

As of 12:01 a.m. Thursday, persons 21 and older can:

• Possess 2 ounces or less of marijuana;

• Share 1 ounce or less with another person at least 21 years old, as long as no money, goods or services change hands;

• Cultivate up to six marijuana plants, but have no more than three mature plants, in their primary home; and

• Use marijuana on private property.

District residents cannot smoke or otherwise consume marijuana in a public space, including at restaurants, bars and coffee shops, or on any federal property. Public housing tenants cannot smoke weed in their homes, because they are government owned. Marijuana users are not allowed to operate a vehicle or boat under the influence of the drug.

But people still can't buy marijuana in the District. What?

After voters approved Initiative 71, Congress stepped in, forbidding the District to enact any regulatory framework for the sale or taxation of pot. So, for now, marijuana cannot be sold or taxed. As the city says on its website: home grow; home use.

The penalty for an individual arrested for smoking or consuming marijuana in public can be up to 60 days in jail or a $500 fine. Restaurant and business owners that allow patrons to use marijuana could lose their business license and certificate of occupancy.

"We will uphold the letter and the spirit of the initiative that was passed last year, and we will establish the Initiative 71 Task Force to coordinate our enforcement, awareness and engagement efforts and address policy questions as they arise," District Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a statement.

Bowser named Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lanier and Department of Health Director LaQuandra Nesbitt to head up the task force.

The mayor's office says Bowser will "put forward emergency legislation to clarify that the law does not allow private clubs to provide marijuana to their patrons."

Marijuana legalization advocates say about 50,000 D.C. residents have marijuana arrest records that affect their employment chances.