D.C.'s New Attorney General Says Congress Has Not Blocked Legal Marijuana in the Nation's Capital

By | December 31, 2014

Karl Racine, the newly elected attorney general
of Washington, D.C., says a congressional aimed at stopping the District from
legalizing marijuana does not actually accomplish that. Although
the rider will prevent the D.C. Council from licensing and
regulating marijuana businesses, Racine says, it cannot nullify
Inititiative 71, the ballot measure that eliminates penalties for
possession, sharing, and home cultivation. That’s because the rider
applies only to enactment of Initiative 71, which happened the day
voters approved it.

“We think Initiative 71 was basically self-enacted, just as the
congresswoman does,” Racine  The Washington Post, referring to Eleanor
Holmes Norton, the District’s nonvoting congressional delegate. “We
think there’s good support for that position, and we’re going to
support that position.” Racine thus agrees with Norton,
D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, and leading Democrats in the
House that Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.) made a fatal error when he
narrowed his rider so that it barred the District from spending
money to “enact” rather than “enact or carry out” marijuana
legalization.

Harris  the amendment, which is part of the omnius spending
bill approved by Congress a few weeks ago, “prevents the ultimate
enactment of the ballot initiative.” But under the , the initiative takes effect automatically unless
Congress passes a joint resolution rejecting it no later than 30
legislative days after Mendelson officially submits it for review,
which he plans to do next month. In the event that Congress passes a resolution and President
Obama signs it before the review period expires, the resolution
“shall be deemed to have repealed” the initiative, which seems
inconsistent with Harris’ position that the initiative has not
really been enacted yet.

Category: Liberty
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One thought on “D.C.'s New Attorney General Says Congress Has Not Blocked Legal Marijuana in the Nation's Capital

  1. Walter Schwenk

    Good news. We need to “end the war” on hemp and cannabis asap, and in every way possible, in every locale.

    Reply

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