Beltway potheads, rejoice! From today, owning a small amount of cannabis in Washington, DC, is legal, as a measure passed in a referendum last year comes into effect. The District of Columbia thus joins Alaska, Colorado and Washington state in the list of places where it is permissible to smoke weed for recreational purposes (Alaska was added on Tuesday; Oregon follows on July 1st). But although owning cannabis in the District is legal, buying it is not. Republicans in Congress object to the legislation; they have added an amendment to a spending bill to prevent the city’s government from creating a regulatory framework to license or tax the sale of marijuana—thus ensuring that the trade will remain in the hands of criminals. Enthusiastic users may, however, own six cannabis plants (three of them mature) and give away up to an ounce of pot. Expect a gardening boom in America’s capital.