While voters in Washington D.C. managed to decriminalize possession of marijuana with a ballot initiative last fall, the city is considering taking it a step further and making it legal to sell the stuff as well. The City Council is holding a hearing today to mull whether it should join Colorado and Washington State to allow the sale of pot for recreational use by adults.
The finance, business and judiciary committees will hear testimony on a proposed bill that would let legalize the possession and sales of small amounts of marijuana for adults, as well as allowing people to grow up to six plants at home, reports Reuters.
Dubbed Marijuana Legalization and Regulation Act of 2015, the bill outlines rules for regulating the sale of marijuana and pot-infused products like candies, cakes and other edibles. The D.C. liquor board would carry the burden of regulation, with tax revenues going into a dedicated fund.
Congress has oversight of D.C., and as such is up against a congressional review period deadline of the end of February to decide the future of ballot Initiative 71, which made pot legal for recreational use. Lawmakers already included language in a spending bill last year that prohibits the city from using any funds to legalize pot.
If Initiative 71 goes forward, by March the city would begin to treat it as law, giving people the right to have pot but no way to buy it legally. Congress has only used the review process three times in 40 years to overturn a D.C. law.
District of Columbia holds hearing on marijuana sales [Reuters]
by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist