Washington, D.C., city council passes pot decriminalization vote

By Lacey Johnson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A measure decriminalizing marijuana in the U.S. capital got final approval from Washington's city council on Tuesday, a move that would make smoking pot a violation comparable to a parking ticket. The bill, which passed the second of two votes with the support of 10 of the 13 city councilors, will now go to the desk of Democratic Mayor Vincent Gray, who supports the measure. "It will have a profound impact on the people of the District of Columbia to decriminalize this marijuana," said Councilman David Grosso, adding that he looks forward to the "next step" of taxing and regulating the sale of marijuana. "I think that should be done expeditiously here in this body and, hopefully, with the support of our mayor." While marijuana is still illegal under federal law, 15 U.S. states and a handful of cities have removed the threat of arrest for possession of small amounts of the drug.



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