Ahead of Vox‘s favorite day to enjoy nature, D.C. gives us another reason to be glad Georgetown is located in such a liberal city.

A new poll released today by the Drug Policy Alliance and the Marijuana Policy Project found that 63 percent of residents supported enacting Colorado-esque legalization schemes here in the District. A further 78 percent of residents said that they would like to expand D.C.’s medical marijuana law so that doctors could prescribe cannabis to patients for any condition whatsoever. (The current law has quite restrictive limits on what conditions doctors may prescribe marijuana for.)

67 percent would like to see fewer police resources devoted to catching people who smoke weed. More than 4,000 people were arrested for marijuana possession in D.C. last year.

Mike Debonis over at the Post notes that, three years ago, the District was fairly evenly split when it came to the issue: 46 percent in favor to 48 in opposed. D.C. is likely following national trends which now show that a majority, or a near-majority, of Americans support the legalization of marijuana.

This most recent poll, however, has people talking about the possibility of a 2014 ballot initiative either decriminalizing or legalizing marijuana in the District of Columbia. Mason Tvert, the Marijuana Policy Project’s director of communications, told HuffPost D.C. that advocates of legalizing marijunana “will be talking to community leaders and elected officials about various options for adopting a more sensible marijuana policy in D.C., including the possibility of a decriminalization ballot initiative campaign as early as 2014.”

Who knows? If a measure does get sent to the ballot box, we might finally see droves of Georgetown students registering to vote in D.C.

Photo: Zervas via Flickr

Every year, Vox tackles the various vices many students engage in during their college years: drinking, drugs, sex and smoking. As a disclaimer, Vox isn’t advocating underage drinking or the use of illegal drugs, and most of this information comes from outside sources, not firsthand experience.

Drinking

Despite what some tour guides reassured your parents, drinking is a sizeable part of social life at Georgetown for many people. If you look for a party on the weekend, you will always find one.

During New Student Orientation, many freshmen will wander the neighborhood in packs listening for noise that might signal a party. We advise freshmen who find parties to avoid inviting their entire floor or drinking everything as soon as they can.

If you’re over 21 (or have an ID that says you are) and prefer bars, here are some of the more popular nearby options:

• Chadwicks (3205 K Street): Good happy hours and champagne brunches.
• Epicurean (On campus, under Darnall): Offers karaoke, and is usually occupied with doctors from the hospital.
• Old Glory (3139 M Street): Strong drinks, good barbecue; the covered back porch with a bar makes it convenient for smokers.
• Rhino (3295 M Street): Sketchy, but good wings and a good chance of spotting Real World cast members or Kobe Bryant.
• Rugby (1065 Wisconsin Ave): As part of a Ralph Lauren store: very, very preppy.
• Third Edition (1218 Wisconsin Ave): Relatively cheap, lots of dancing; famous for having its exterior used in St. Elmo’s Fire.
• Tombs (1226 36th Street): The closest bar to campus and filled with students, but also the strictest with IDs.

How strict a given bar is with accepting fake IDs varies from bouncer to bouncer. In the past, fake ids have been confiscated at Third Edition, so be wary. Generally, Vox would discourage you from trying your fake at Third Edition or Tombs.

If you’re looking to buy your own alcohol, the best bets are Towne (1326 Wisconsin Avenue), Wagner’s (1717 Wisconsin Avenue) and Dixie (3429 M Street). Vox recommends you get to know the employees are Dixie–they’re a friendly and often inebriated sort. Wisey’s also sells beer and wine.

Booey’s is a great alternative to overpaying for drinks at a bar. Although its only open until midnight, the pitchers are cheaper than most places in Georgetown.

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About a week ago, some high school sophomore and Hoya hopeful took to Yahoo! answers to ask the Internet about his/her chances of getting into Georgetown. The kid asked for high school GPAs and SAT scores, and one of his two respondents gave him a legitimate, thought-out answer. But this commenter doesn’t even go to Georgetown. The post’s other respondent, identified only as “George,” gave Georgetown its best endorsement since the Athletics Department bought ad space on Justin Bieber’s forehead.

Dude, I attend Georgetown University, and all I did in high school was smoke pot. Don’t strees yourself too much….

Hoya Saxa.

At this morning’s preliminary hearing, charges were dropped without prejudice against Howard Arenstein and Orly Katz, the married pair of journalists caught growing marijuana in Burleith.

According to Washington City Paper, the charges were dropped without prejudice at this morning’s preliminary hearing because prosecutors could not locate their only witness. The charge—possession with intent to sell—may be reinstated after prosecutors track down the witness.

Arenstein, a CBS Radio News correspondent, and Katz were arrested in October after a neighbor’s tip led to the discovery of 11 fully-mature marijuana plants in the backyard of their Burleith home. A single mature plant can produce up to a pound of marijuana. Although the charges implied drug dealing, a source close to the case told City Paper last month that the stash was likely used for medicinal purposes, not sold.

h/t Washington City Paper

Photo: Juliana Brint

Think only students got busted for marijuana in Georgetown?

Burleith resident Howard Arenstein, a CBS Radio News correspondent and Bob Dylan look-alike, and his wife Orly Azoulay, a Washington correspondent for Yedioth Ahronoth, were arrested on Saturday for possession of marijuana with intent to sell.

The couple, who live on the 3500 block of T Street, were growing the cannabis plants in their backyard. After Arenstein allegedly bragged about the plans, a neighbor filed a complaint with the Metropolitan Police Department’s vice unit. A search of the house unearthed 11 mature, eight-foot tall plants—which can each produce a pound of marijuana—as well as prepackaged, two-ounce bags inside the house.

According to CBS News, Arenstein has covered the 2000 presidential election, September 11th attacks, the War in Iraq, and the D.C. sniper shootings during his time as a news correspondent and CBS Radio Bureau Manager.

If convicted, Arenstein and Azoulay could face up to a year in prison and $10,000 in fines.

Photo: Juliana Brint

During a press conference last Thursday, Daniel Pacheco (SCS ’11) confronted National Drug Control Policy Director Gil Kerlikowske about long-standing drug policies in America.

Pacheco, a Colombian graduate student studying public relations and corporate communications, said that he was “looking to make a statement” about drug policy reform.

“The United States is the largest drug market in the world,” he said. “Criminal organizations profit from the money earned from American drug users, which allows them to cause more violence in Latin America.”

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Below, we’ve republished Juliana Brint’s August 2009 post about “all the various vices you might be interested in engaging in during college: drinking, drugs, sex and smoking.” And here’s our disclaimer: Vox isn’t endorsing any of these activities. (And most of the advice and information came from outside sources.)

Alcohol

Georgetown is definitely a drinking school, and on weekends you can almost always find a party somewhere on or near campus. When going out, there’s no quicker way to be identified as a somewhat obnoxious freshman than to travel with the entirety of your floor. It’s also seen as particularly poor form to crash a party, drain the booze and leave.

At Georgetown, people generally don’t charge guests admittance to parties (a fact that will doubtlessly shock your friends who visit). However, if you find kindly upperclassmen who frequently supply you with liquor, it’s generally a good idea to reimburse them.

If you’re over 21 (or have an ID that says you are) and prefer bars, you have plenty of nearby options. Here’s the run-down:

• Chadwicks (3205 K Street): Good happy hours and champagne brunches.
• Epicurean (On campus, under Darnall): Offers karaoke, and you really can’t beat it for convenience.
• Old Glory (3139 M Street): Strong drinks; the covered back porch with a bar makes it convenient for smokers.
• Rhino (3295 M Street): Sketchy and crowded on weekends, but sells good wings
• Smith Point (1338 Wisconsin Avenue): Bastion of prep that prides itself on having a guest list; Late Night Shots central.
• Third Edition (1218 Wisconsin Ave): Relatively cheap; famous for having its exterior used in St. Elmo’s Fire.
• Tombs (1226 36th Street): The closest bar to campus and almost exclusively for students, but also the strictest with IDs.

How strict a given bar is with accepting fake IDs varies from bouncer to bouncer, but generally avoid trying your fake at Smith Point, Third Edition and Tombs.

If you’re looking to procure your own spirits, the best bets are Towne (1326 Wisconsin Avenue), Wagner’s (1717 Wisconsin Avenue) and Dixie (3429 M Street; but don’t even think about using a fake at Dixie). Wisey‘s also sells beer and wine.

If you’re tired of jostling at the bar for a watered-down rum and coke or an overpriced draft beer, Booey’s is also a good bet. Its pitchers are among the cheapest around, and it is open until midnight.
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On Wednesday, D.C. Councilmember and Georgetown alum David Catania (I-At Large)(SFS ‘90, LAW ‘94) spoke to a Voice reporter about his run for re-election, his recent work on same-sex marriage and medical marijuana legalization, and his time at Georgetown. Below is a full transcript of their conversation. Interview conducted and transcribed by Claire Wheeler.

Voice: What led you to first become involved in politics?

Catania: Where should I begin … I was active in my neighborhood before running for the Council. In the mid-1990s I was active in my former neighborhood, which was called Sheridan-Kalorama. I ran for the [Advisory Neighborhood Commission] in 1996 and was successful in that race and then the opportunity presented itself to run for the Council in a special election. Based on the work I had done as an adviser to the Neighborhood Commission and the view I held about the direction of the City, I decided if we wanted the City to improve, we would have to have a new generation of leadership with a different set of priorities then the generation that preceded me. So when the opportunity presented itself to run for the council in 1997, I decided to run.

V: Why did you decide to run for re-election in the council?

C: I think first and foremost, that I have chaired the Committee on Health since January 2005 and over the last five years I think we have made a lot of progress on improving the quality of healthcare in the district and access to healthcare. We are working to narrow certain health disparities that exist in the city, but there are still many challenges and a lot of work to do. I had hoped that we would have universal access to health insurance by 2010. It was a goal of mine. The economic meltdown in 2008 has really frustrated that goal, but I am still committed to it. The District enjoys one of the lowest rates of uninsured in the country, thanks in part to the work that I have started in the past few years on expanding our Medicare programs and expanding our Alliance programs. The district is in the top-tier in the Nation in terms of insured, but we still have, nonetheless, about eight percent of our population that is not insured, and I want to continue my work to bring that down to zero.

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These are tough times for D.C. smokers.  Just as the tax on cigarettes is getting bumped up by 50 cents, bringing the total tax per pack up to $2.50, the D.C. Council is putting sidewalk smoking and cheap cigars in the crosshairs.

D.C. Councilmember Phil Mendelson (D—At Large) recently proposed a bill that would allow business owners to ban smoking within 25 feet of the door to their establishment—including sidewalks.  Mendelson’s bill would also make it a crime for anyone under 18 to possess tobacco.

The Council is also considering a ban on cheap cigars, which are often used for less-than-legal purposes. The ban would not apply to the five D.C. stores that sell “high-end” cigars, according to the Washington Post, just stores that sell single cigars for $5 or less.

For the penultimate Prefrosh Preview, we’ll be tackling all the various vices you might be interested in engaging in during college: drinking, drugs, sex and smoking. As a disclaimer: Vox isn’t advocating underage drinking or the use of illegal drugs, and most of this information comes from outside sources, not firsthand experience.

Alcohol

Georgetown is definitely a drinking school, and on weekends you can almost always find a party somewhere on or near campus. When going out, there’s no quicker way to be identified as a somewhat obnoxious freshman than to travel with the entirety of your floor. It’s also seen as particularly poor form to crash a party, drain the booze and leave.

At Georgetown, people generally don’t charge guests admittance to parties (a fact your visiting friends will doubtlessly be shocked by). However, if you find a a kindly upperclassmen who frequently supplies you with liquor, it’s nice to reimburse them.

If you’re over 21 (or have an ID that says you are) and prefer bars, here are some of the more popular nearby options:

• Chadwicks (3205 K Street): Good happy hours and champagne brunches.
  
• Champions (1206 Wisconsin Avenue): A favorite among the underage crowd (although it has something of a checkered past).
• Epicurean (On campus, under Darnall): Offers karaoke, and you really can’t beat it for convenience.
• Old Glory (3139 M Street): Strong drinks; the covered back porch with a bar makes it convenient for smokers.
  
• Rhino (3295 M Street): Sketchy, but good wings and a good chance of spotting Real World cast members.
• Smith Point (1338 Wisconsin Avenue): Bastion of prep that prides itself on having a guest list; Late Night Shots central.
• Third Edition (1218 Wisconsin Ave): Relatively cheap; famous for having its exterior used in St. Elmo’s Fire.
• Tombs (1226 36th Street): The closest bar to campus and thus almost exclusively for students, but also the strictest with IDs.

How strict a given bar is with accepting fake IDs varies from bouncer to bouncer, but generally Vox would discourage you from trying your fake at Smith Point, Third Edition and Tombs.

If you’re looking to procure your own spirits, the best bets are Towne (1326 Wisconsin Avenue), Wagner’s (1717 Wisconsin Avenue) and Dixie (3429 M Street; you shouldn’t even think about attempting to use a fake at Dixie, though). Wisey‘s also sells beer and wine.

If you’re tired of jostling at the bar for a watered-down rum and coke or an overpriced draft beer, Booey’s is a good bet. Its pitchers are among the cheapest around, and it is open until midnight.

More fun stuff likes drugs, sex and smoking after the jump!

Read the rest of this entry »