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Congress, who always makes decisions and passes legislation with D.C. resident’s best interest at heart, attached a rider to an omnibus spending bill last night that would block the District from legalizing marijuana.
The fact that 65 percent of District voters wanted to legalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana legalized for personal use, Congress decided that “nah, those residents don’t really know what they want, but we do!” and are attempting to block D.C. from implementing Initiative 71 through language in a bill. Naturally, some people are beginning to question that Congress isn’t acting with our interests at heart and aren’t too thrilled about that.
@aeidinger @SenatorReid You shouldn’t HAVE to make a case, man. We’re AMERICAN CITIZENS who voted IN A GODDAMN’ FREE ELECTION.
— Mike Flugennock (@flugennock) December 10, 2014
Scared of seeing a representative government not represent.
Initiative 71 was passed by the people.
Let. It. Be.
— Maddy (@thatshortgirl_0) December 9, 2014
.@RepAndyHarrisMD I’m guessing you solved all MD’s problems that you have time to meddle in DC’s affairs http://t.co/1S5DdS5fcn
— Veronica (@Dizzyluv25) December 10, 2014
.@DCist Proud History of Taxation, Regulation, Legislation, Domination, Incarceration, and Complete BullShit-ization Without Representation
— Delaney Williams (@delaneywilliams) December 10, 2014
@DCist Republicans love local rule unless they don’t love the way locals rule.
— The Boogie Knight (@TheBoogieKnight) December 10, 2014
fuck them for constantly shitting on DC “@DCist: Congressional spending bill blocks D.C. from legalizing marijuana. http://t.co/G01vPY0YDF”
— Larry Harris, Jr. (@iamblackbobby) December 10, 2014
This is why people hate Congress. RT @DCist: Congressional spending bill blocks D.C. from legalizing marijuana. http://t.co/65aDCUyWLM
— Nate Mook (@natemook) December 10, 2014
“@DCist: Congressional spending bill blocks D.C. from legalizing marijuana. http://t.co/Jo93tJyFzq” 70% approval and it gets shot down lol
— Ryan Gold (@ryangold17) December 10, 2014
And that’s just a small sampling of the colorful choice of words that many people have towards Congress right now.
Tonight, the D.C. Cannabis Campaign, who authored and got Initiative 71 on the ballot, are organizing a march to the U.S. Capitol in protest of members of Congress who are trying to block their initiative. They’ll be meeting at 5 p.m. at the Department of Justice (950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW) and marching to the the Capitol at 6 p.m.
Meanwhile, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton says that there may be a loophole that could protect marijuana legalization in D.C. “The House-passed D.C. marijuana rider, introduced by Representative Andy Harris, and the omnibus D.C. marijuana rider are not identical,” she says in a release. “Unlike the Harris rider, the omnibus rider does not block D.C. from ‘carrying out’ enacted marijuana policies.”
Thus, Norton says, because the phrase “carry out” isn’t in the rider, D.C. can go ahead with legalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana. The rider only says that it prohibits D.C. from spending funds to “enact any law, rule, or regulation” for minimizing penalties for possessing marijuana.
Norton is planning to offer an amendment at the Rules Committee today to strike the rider, to avoid confusion. “The District of Columbia government and its residents should never be put in the position of uncertainty of any kind about any of their local laws,” she says.
