Washington D.C. Medical Marijuana Storage & Security
Posted by Safe & Vault on Jul 08, 2014
Just two year after California became the first state to legalize the use of medical marijuana for its residents, in 1998 the District of Columbia brought before its acting government Initiative 59 in an attempt to grant its citizens the right to purchase medical marijuana as a legal form of treatment for a myriad of approved illnesses.
Since the majority of D.C. residents agreed to add Initiative to the upcoming vote in November, 1998, the initiative was added to the ballots for the vote on November 3rd, 1998. Before the initiative could be voted on, then President Bill Clinton signed into law the “Barr Amendment.” This amendment prohibited use of appropriated funds to conduct any ballot initiative which sought to legalize (or otherwise reduce) penalties associated with a controlled substance. Since the ballots for the November 3rd election had already been printed, the voters in the District of Columbia were still allowed to vote on Initiative 59.
In light of the Barr Amendment, the District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics ruled that the results of the vote on Initiative 59 could not be released or considered. In response, several residents of D.C. decided to sue the board. In Turner v. District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics,the court ruled the Board was to legally apply the votes of the citizens of D.C regarding Initiative 59.
Law 18-210, or the Legalization of Marijuana for Medical Treatment Act of 2010, was adopted (after more than twelve years in the courts of the District of Columbia) on first and second readings on April 20th and May 4th of 2010. District of Columbia Mayor Adrian Fenty signed the Act into law on May 21st, 2010. Act number 18-429 was assigned, and the bill was presented before both houses of Congress. D.C. Law 18-210 became effective on July 27, 2010.
The District of Columbia referred to the law established by the State of California when drafting their final version of Law 18-210. With regard to storage and containment of marijuana and all other Schedule I drugs, the District of Columbia also complies with the laws established federally by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Regulations under Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 1301 specify that, in the instance of small amounts of the drug permit, a safe or steel cabinet may be used. The safe or cabinet must provide;
- 30 man -minutes against surreptitious entry
- 10 man-minutes against forced entry
- 20 man-hours against lock manipulation
- 20 man-hours against radiological techniques
The Code also states that if a safe or steel cabinet weighs less than 750 lbs., it must be bolted or cemented to the floor in such a way that it cannot be removed. Depending on the quantity and type of the substance(s) being stored, the safe or cabinet must be equipped with an alarm system which, upon attempted break-in, shall transmit a signal directly to a central protection company or State police agency which has a legal duty to respond, or a 24-hour control station operated by the registrant, or such other protection.