Last Thursday evening in DC was like Christmas morning for weed-lovers. Matt Skarbeck, a professional weed grower since 1992, handed out hundreds of free marijuana seeds from his personal collection. The “seed share,” hosted by the DC Cannabis Campaign, took place at a restaurant in the Adams-Morgan neighborhood and attracted hundreds of DC residents who lined up for blocks to collect the seeds, worth up to $40 a pop. 

The seeds were from a variety of strains, including one that “grows very oddball weed that no one’s ever seen before,” said Skarbeck.

The event was promotion for Skarbeck’s local business, Legal 6 DC Cannabis Consulting, in which he counsels people on growing their own weed at home.

For many residents, this was the first opportunity to take part in the district’s now semi-legal marijuana market. DC legalized marijuana last month, but due to pushback from Congress, it’s still illegal to sell the drug, although growing or smoking it in one’s own home is permitted.

Most of the seed beneficiaries polled had little knowledge of how to grow pot, which could be good news for Skarbeck’s consulting business. One said he’d learned how to grow the plant from watching YouTube videos. Another, 53-year-old Wendell Meyers, said: “I can’t grow anything. But it’s a weed. I know I’ve already been able to grow those in my backyard.”

Another anonymous resident said he came to the event just to support legalization, but as far as growing weed: “I have no idea how to do it."