Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Legal pot arrives in District of Columbia amid wrangle with Congress

File photo of Melvin Clay of the DC Cannabis Campaign holding a sign urging voters to legalize marijuana in Washington By Ian Simpson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Possession of small amounts of marijuana became legal in the District of Columbia on Thursday amid a face-off between local officials and the U.S. Congress over whether the new standards are lawful. Initiative 71, a ballot measure legalizing marijuana possession and approved by 65 percent of District of Columbia voters in November, took effect at 12:01 a.m. EST. Mayor Muriel Bowser and other city officials vowed on Wednesday that legalization would go ahead despite warnings from Republicans on the House of Representatives Oversight Committee that the move was illegal. In a letter to Bowser, committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz of Utah and Mark Meadows of North Carolina, head of a committee subpanel, said a December spending bill had barred the District of Columbia from spending any funds to make pot legal or lessen penalties.








via Health News Headlines - Yahoo News http://ift.tt/1LGCUn2

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