On Tuesday, April 20, the D.C. Council unanimously voted for the legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes. Patients suffering from HIV, glaucoma, cancer and other chronic and lasting illnesses are one step closer to being able to obtain two ounces of marijuana per month with a doctor’s recommendation.

The legislation to legalize medical marijuana will be voted on for a second time by the D.C. Council next month. If the Council passes it during this vote, the legislation will then pass to Congress for a 30-day passive review period.

If the legislation passes these steps, although patients will not be able to personally grow their own marijuana, they will be able to purchase it from licensed vendors that will be regulated by the District Department of Health. The bill authorizes five distribution centers located throughout D.C., which will be able to distribute marijuana upon passage of the legislation, and three more will likely be added within the next few years. Each distribution center would be limited to growing 95 plants. There is worry that the small number of vendors in D.C. would not be able to meet the demand of patients in the area.

Despite these concerns, the news of the Council’s vote was received with excitement on Georgetown’s campus by members of the student organization Hoyas for Liberty, a libertarian group on campus in favor of the legalization of marijuana. Hoyas for Liberty member Preston Mui (COL ’13) expressed his approval for the vote.

“It’s a great step forward for individual freedom and liberty,” Mui said. “I think it’s a small step forward, but it is definitely a step in the right direction.”