With pot legalized in DC, some are gifting marijuana for the holidays

WASHINGTON - Christmas is approaching fast and this is a big week for people to load up on gifts to place under their tree.

Since Initiative 71 became legal back in February, it means this is the first holiday season you can legally give marijuana as a present to people over the age of 21 in the District of Columbia.

This is certainly a controversial subject, but marijuana activists estimate there are at least 500 home marijuana growers in the District.

For Adam Eidinger, it is a holly, jolly season as he wraps up some gifts for friends.

"It's a lovely holiday season because you can give cannabis to your friends in Washington D.C.," he said.

And Eidinger is giving a lot of these homegrown gifts this year. This is a gift he has fought for years as the proposer of Initiative 71, which legalized possession of small amounts of marijuana in the city for personal use.

"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," said Eidinger.

He also has a business in Adams Morgan -- Capitol Hemp -- one of several stores in town now doing brisk business selling cannabis paraphernalia.

"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 told us.

It is all still somewhat controversial, but Eidinger said he is focused on making sure people know how to do it legally. That means gifts involving homegrown pot are only given in amounts less than one ounce and only consumed in private homes.

But even he has questions about ways some are doing it, such as Kush Gods, a company with several cars that drive around town offering edible marijuana products for a donation.

"I love their enthusiasm for legalization," said Eidinger. "They really should help us change the laws because what they are doing is really, I think, illegal under the law as it stands now."

Nicholas Kushgod disagrees. He said his business is legal because he isn't charging for pot brownies and gummies.

"The law says it's legal to give it away, so them donating to the company is just them excited about what's going on," he told us.

Kush Gods parks in plain view along U Street, but admits he offers tips to those stopping by so they can stay on the right side of the law.

"Best to enjoy them at home," said Nicholas. "You should still treat it like alcohol. You shouldn't drink and drive. You shouldn't smoke and drive."

There are certainly still lots of questions on this subject. We reached out to D.C. police to try and clarify the law surrounding giving marijuana as a gift and asked if it is legal to get it from the Kush Gods cars. We were told in an email that D.C. police declined to participate in our story.