On November 4th, Washington, DC is voting on recreational marijuana. As the nation‰’s capital, this is a very influential decision since laws made for the District of Columbia also have to go through Congress and therefore can set the stage for federal laws in the near future. This initiative, if passed, will make it lawful under DC law for a person 21 years of age or older to: possess up to two ounces of marijuana for personal use; grow no more than six cannabis plants within the person‰’s principal residence; transfer without payment (but not sell) up to one ounce of marijuana to another person 21 years of age or older; and use or sell drug paraphernalia for the use, growing, or processing of marijuana or cannabis.

Currently, DC is under the Marijuana Possession Decriminalization Amendment Act of 2013. Decriminalization is somewhat of a weird gray purgatory where marijuana is not legal but possession results in a $25 fine instead of arrest. Also under decriminalization, it is drug dealers making profits and not the government (who could do so off of tax revenue if marijuana were legalized).

Courtesy of DC Cannabis Campaign.

Many musicians have gotten involved with the “Smoke the Vote” campaign, including Afroman, who made a new version of his classic weed-smoking anthem, “Because I Got High.‰” The original focuses mainly on the negative effects of marijuana with lines such as “I was gonna go to court before I got high/I was gonna pay my child support but then I got high/they took my whole paycheck and I know why/ ‰Cause I got high.‰” A positive swing is taken with the remix, “I had problems with glaucoma, but then I got high/ Smelled a cannabis aroma, and I got high/ Glaucoma‰’s getting better, and I know why/ Because I got high.‰Û

In a remix more appealing to millennials than the stoners of the early 2000s, Lil Jon‰’s “Turn Down For What‰” is repurposed to “Turn Out For What‰” in support of marijuana legalization. The video features Lena Dunham, Whoopi Goldberg, Ireland Baldwin, and, naturally, a gigantic joint.

Although these songs may be deemed as cheesy as some, they get the point across that there is an overwhelming amount of support to legalize marijuana, especially in DC. They are a perfect example of the way that music can be a powerful tool for both social and political change.