I looked for legal weed on DC's Craigslist and here's what I found

Marijuana is now legal in Washington, D.C. But as you probably know, it can’t be sold in the city because of a conflict with Congress over the law.

You can grow your own weed or get up to an ounce from someone else. Of course, that requires friends in high places, if you know what I mean.

If you don’t have that, there’s another option: Craigslist.

Since marijuana became legal on Thursday, a dozen posts have popped up on the D.C. section of the website.

“Marijuana is now legal to own in D.C.,” read one example filed in the “wanted” thread. “I am looking to obtain some via ‘trade’ preferably a half of higher quality.”

Another poster showed an interest in growing at home. “I’m a generous guy,” he said. “Looking for someone else who is also generous to gift me a clone or two of good bud plants.”

The measure approved by voters in November allows residents to purchase limited amounts of marijuana — it’s explicitly spelled out in the initiative — but selling the drug remains illegal.

A fact sheet about legalization released by the mayor’s office this week did not address whether residents could freely purchase marijuana without fear of criminal charges. The mayor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Credit: Craigslist

Malik Burnett, a policy manager at the Drug Policy Alliance, said buying or trading for marijuana — on Craigslist or otherwise — was a “gray area” best avoided until the city provided further guidance.

“You’re pushing the envelope on this, and if you are caught, there’s certainly going to be penalties associated with that,” he said. “So it’s probably not the best move to be testing it out in the first days of marijuana legalization.”

Craigslist did not immediately respond to a request for comment. For some Craigslisters, however, the reward seems to outweigh the risk.

“Trying to get an ounce or two next week (2/26/15) when it’s legal in DC,” wrote one poster. “Mind you it’s illegal to sell marijuana when the law passes. So I will donate the money to you, just send an email and we can work out a date/time.”

Ted Hesson was formerly the immigration editor at Fusion, covering the issue from Washington, D.C. He also writes about drug laws and (occasionally) baseball. On the side: guitars, urban biking, and fiction.