This Christmas D.C. Residents Will Have Their Trees and Smoke Them, Too

This Christmas, folks in Washington, D.C., seem to be interested in a different kind of “tree.” Marijuana, that is.

Initiative 71, approved back in February, made it legal for adults 21 years of age or older to possess small amounts of marijuana, grow up to six marijuana plants in their homes, consume marijuana on private property and transfer one ounce or less to another adult without the exchange of “money, goods, or services.”

In other words, it can be gifted.

This Christmas, many D.C. residents will opt for pot instead of poinsettias. (Raul Arboleda/AFP/Getty Images)

This Christmas will be the first season during which D.C. residents over 21 may give the gift of green.

Marijuana activists estimate there to be at least 500 home marijuana growers in the District of Columbia, WTTG-TV reported.

Adam Eidinger, the cannabis activist who first proposed Initiative 71 years ago, plans on giving homegrown cannabis presents this year. “It's a lovely holiday season because you can give cannabis to your friends in Washington D.C.,” he told WTTG.

Eidinger, who has his own business in Adams Morgan — Capitol Hemp — has high hopes for the sale of marijuana-themed products this Christmas.

“Giving cannabis has become like the latest, ‘Hey, I baked a pie. I grew this. Would you like it?’ And it is a very special gift,” Eidinger said.

Since it remains illegal for money to change hands in marijuana transactions, business owners have had to get creative with their marketing.

After Initiative 71 passed, many D.C. businesses decided to offer promotional pot for "free" with the purchase of other goods or services, according to the Washington Post.

“People are definitely interested in cannabis-themed gifts, and they are coming in for gifts that can help someone harvest their plants because a lot of times, people don’t have that equipment, so that's a nice gift for the holidays,” Eidinger said.

Back in March, the D.C. Cannanbis Campaign held its first seed-sharing event, a free public exchange of cannabis seeds for private use.

Not everyone will be happy with what is being called a gray market, but for Eidinger and his friends, this Christmas is another occasion to spread the love — and the green — across the capitol.

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