WASHINGTON — D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton wants to add a new plant to the U.S. Botanic Garden. In a letter to the garden, D.C.’s Congresswoman requested the garden display marijuana for the first time in its history.
This is not the first time Norton has requested a Botanic Garden plant. In 2021, she requested that hemp be displayed. Now it is. In a letter to Executive Director Susan K. Pell, Norton writes displaying marijuana plants in the Botanic Garden would be a historic opportunity to highlight the impact of marijuana on society and the economy.
Norton’s letter can be read in full below:
As you are aware, I worked with your predecessor, Dr. Saharah Moon Chaptoin, regarding the display of hemp and marijuana at the U.S. Botanic Garden. I am very pleased that the Botanic Garden recently began displaying hemp for the first time. I am writing to request that the Botanic Garden also display marijuana for the first time.
More and more states, as well as the federal government, are beginning to legalize various forms of cannabis. In recent years, the House of Representatives has passed several bills that would have descheduled cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act.
As individual states and…
