Woman Arrested in D.C. Fights to Get Pot Back

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Jessica Laycock, 25, was among seven protesters arrested on April 20 — an annual day of pro-pot advocacy — during a demonstration in which activists gave joints to congressional staffers to push for marijuana-friendly federal laws. Possession of marijuana is illegal on federal land, but protesters say they strategically held the event on District land, where possession of up to two ounces of pot is legal and small amounts can be given away free.

The circumstances of her case highlight the clash between federal pot laws and looser local regulations in a city where small amounts of marijuana are allowed.
U.S. Capitol Police also have jurisdiction on D.C. land, and its officers arrested some of the activists who openly smoked marijuana. Laycock originally was charged with possession and distribution of marijuana, but the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia dropped the charges. Upon her arrest, police seized Laycock’s marijuana — less than two ounces and considered legal on District land — and other marijuana- and cigarette-related paraphernalia.

“Why am I being told that my stuff is being incinerated?” said Laycock, who works as a cannabis lobbyist. “Where I was standing, cannabis was legal.”
Malecki said marijuana is a Schedule 1 Controlled Substance, and even though charges were dismissed, Capitol Police protocol calls for the marijuana to be destroyed. In the eyes of the federal police agency, Malecki said, marijuana is illegal everywhere in the city.

Nearly 70 percent of District residents favored a referendum in 2014 to legalize marijuana, and Laycock and her lawyer contend that the substance is now legal in the city, even if a Capitol Police officer is patrolling the area.

https://www.scribd.com/document/347449376/Jessica-Laycock-Public-Statement-on-Unlawful-Arrest-and-Detention