WASHINGTON (AP) — Police say two people associated with a business that handed out marijuana brownies on the streets of Washington in exchange for "donations" have been arrested.

District of Columbia police announced Wednesday that they've arrested 30-year-old Nicholas Cunningham of Birmingham, Alabama, and 18-year-old Evonne Lidoff of northwest Washington. They've been charged with distribution of marijuana. Police say they also seized three vehicles painted with marijuana leaves that advertised the business, called "Kush Gods."

This Christmas D.C. Residents Will Have Their Trees and Smoke Them, Too

A new effort in the District seeks to educate residents about what is and isn’t legal when it comes to using marijuana.

After going into the community to find commonly held misconceptions about marijuana — both its effects and the laws in D.C. — a work group established by the Departments of Health and Behavioral Health launched the Blunt Truth DC initiative.

“We want to make it clear K2 is not the same thing as marijuana. K2 is illegal,” said Bruce Points, a local public health adviser.

Points helped launch the initiative intended to prevent underage use of marijuana in the city with a website offering information on slang for parents, videos and community resources.

A vast majority of District of Columbia residents voted to legalize the possession of marijuana in 2014, but Congress is still blocking the city from enacting regulations on sales of the drug.

A provision in the more than 2,000-page omnibus bill passed by Congress Friday will again block the district from implementing any framework to legalize the sale of marijuana.

The law forbids D.C. from spending any money to “enact any law, rule, or regulation to legalize or otherwise reduce penalties associated with the possession, use, or distribution of any schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act.”

As in 2014, the omnibus spending pill includes pro-pot and anti-pot amendments.

As expected, this year's omnibus spending bill extends a provision that bars the Justice Department (which includes the Drug Enforcement Administration) from interfering with the implementation of state medical marijuana laws. The bill also includes a rider aimed at preventing federal interference with the cultivation of commercial hemp in states that allow it. At the same time, the bill renews the congressional ban on commercial marijuana regulation in Washington, D.C.

D.C. is seen as a fairly progressive city because it allows recreational marijuana use. Advocates say the nation's capital now needs dispensaries.

WASHINGTON — A first-of-its-kind expo being held in D.C. is all about marijuana. The inaugural Cannabis Business Summit kicked off Sunday night with an awards ceremony at the Washington Hilton in Northwest.

Awards were given for innovation, activism and entrepreneurialism in this growing industry. The summit is like an industry trade show. With a list of speakers over two days, there’s an expo featuring the latest and greatest items in the pot business.

When Marijuana Legalization Initiative 71 runs out on Jan. 15, D.C. residents may gain the right to smoke in public places. However, a proposed bill could keep cannabis smoking restricted to private use as mandated under Initiative 71.

The measure would only extend the Decriminalization Bill, approved March 4, 2014, which reduces the maximum penalty for possession of an ounce of marijuana from six months in prison and a $1,000 fine to just a $25 fine for possession and a $100 fine for public use, with no jail time.

The D.C. Council Judiciary Committee held a public hearing on Dec. 10 for the public to testify in opposition or in favor of the proposed bill, B21-0107. Of the 24 public witnesses, all testified in opposition of the new bill.  

Marijuana advocates in the District of Columbia on Thursday threatened to work toward taking local lawmakers out of office if the D.C. Councilcontinues with an effort to establish new restrictions affecting the city’s recently enacted pot laws.

In the face of a proposal that aims to permanently prohibit “cannabis clubs” from popping up within city limits, representatives from the D.C. Marijuana Justice Campaign and other pro-pot activists told council members this week that they’ll fight back with a proposal of their own.

On Dec. 10, 2015, the Council of the District of Columbia Committee on the Judiciary held a public hearing to talk about the Marijuana Decriminalization Clarification Emergency Change Act of 2015, a momentary law that prohibits marijuana intake in private clubs.

Marijuana advocates in the District of Columbia on Thursday threatened to work toward taking local lawmakers out of office if the D.C. Council continues with an effort to establish new restrictions affecting the city’s recently enacted pot laws.

In the face of a proposal that aims to permanently prohibit “cannabis clubs” from popping up within city limits, representatives from the D.C. Marijuana Justice Campaign and other pro-pot activists told council members this week that they’ll fight back with a proposal of their own.