It has been legal to grow, own, or give away small amounts of marijuana in Washington, D.C., since 2015, and that has led to a budding industry of shops that cater to the needs of everyone from casual users to cancer patients looking to cut the high costs of medical pot.
Chris Washburn, owner of Good Hope Hydroponics, told The Washington Post that interest in his products has "really spiked" since legalization.
Good Hope holds free "clone shares," where cuttings are given away, but his business also sells plenty of wares for growers to keep their plants thriving.
With the passage of Initiative 71 in 2014, D.C. residents can legally own up to six plants — three immature and three mature — at a time.
Still, many D.C. residents keep their crops in closets, attics or basements, and are not hip to anyone knowing about it — lest they spark the ire of homeowners associations or the attention of those inclined to steal their plants.
"For years, you could only discuss 'tomatoes' in the store; we'd ask you to leave if you even used the word cannabis," Washburn said. "Now, everyone's out in the open and new people are pouring in."
Some of those newbies are elderly cancer patients, and some even have moved to the nation's capital specifically to grow plants for medicinal purposes. Marijuana can ease some of the side effects of cancer treatments.
Since the law allows for giving away pot, but not selling it, some who might have less of a green thumb have found a workaround: They simply buy products such as cookies or juice for extravagant prices then receive their cannabis as a "gift."
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