Marijuana will be legal in DC come midnight

So DC is all posed to legalize marijuana tonight as the 30 day review period is coming to an end. It is looking slimmer and slimmer like Congress will be able to act in time to prevent this from going into effect. Though that isn't prevent two Congressmen from using any dirty trick in the book they can think of to stop it.

Congress Poised To Harsh D.C.'s Mellow On Marijuana Legalization

In a $1.1 trillion spending bill, the House Appropriations Committee successfully attached a rider preventing the District from using any funds to legalize marijuana. But advocates and city officials say that the law was already enacted when it was voted in November and that Congress' rider wasn't valid since the law was already enacted. The only thing that can prevent it, advocates say, is an official Resolution of Disapproval introduced and passed by Congress before the 30-day review period is up. With less than 24 hours to go, the likelihood of that happening is slim.

But Chaffetz and Meadows' letter falls back on the rider's language, asserting that it would be unlawful for Bowser to carry out Initiative 71. Furthermore, the letter warns that she could be arrested if she does carry it out. “If you decide to move forward tomorrow with the legalization of marijuana in the District, you will be doing so in knowing and willful violation of the law,” the letter reads.

Basically they are threatening jail time to anyone who tries to enact this law. This includes the mayor! The worst part is that these buffoons are arguing that they are looking out for the public's interests while doing so (keep in mind that over 65% of the people in DC voted in favor of legalization)

“Looking at the Constitution, Washington, D.C. is different. They are not a state and we have a role to play and the Congress passed this,” said Chaffetz, whose committee oversees the District of Columbia. “I respect the people who live here and most everything passes through without a problem. But the idea that this is going to be a haven for pot smoking, I can’t support that.”

source

How can you say that you are respecting the people when you are actively working to do the exact OPPOSITE of what they want? What a crock. Here is the kicker. Congress' stupidity and feet dragging here has actually made the situation less regulated than all the states that have legalized it.

D.C.’s limits on legal marijuana possession are twice as high as anywhere else

But that’s where any comparisons end. Unlike the states, D.C. will have very few regulations beyond those basic rules mentioned. That’s because Congress in December denied it the funds to regulate the industry, under the assumption that doing so would stop legalization dead in its tracks. The Post’s Aaron C. Davis and Peter Hermann explain:

Instead of writing regulations governing how the drug would be bought, sold, tracked and taxed — a process that took more than a year in Colorado and Washington state — the District was quickly blocked from doing so by Congress. The city’s attorney general advised officials that even talking about how to allow pot sales could result in jail time for them.

D.C. officials contend that all Congress did was stop them from regulating legalization beyond what voters approved in November.

So now you have all these loose regulations and ill defined rules which will result in people who shouldn't be using it using it (kids). The underground market will still thrive, but now, no one will get punished for participating in it. Basically, a TRULY unregulated market in the US. Funny how Congress' ineptitude works out sometimes.

Well, if our congressmen are all high they won't be able to decide on anything and then they won't be spending any money that they don't have. They will have to retrain all lobbyists to carry around a boom box and play Pink Floyd or ELO.

I guess I'm getting a little old, but so are the congressmen.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

BWAHAHAHAHA, Don't you know we are children who do not know what is best for ourselves? Thank goodness Uncle Sam is here to molest, er, I mean watch out for us.....

That's an awesome bit of irony isn't it? Douchy congressmen try to "defund" the will of the people with a rider to a appropriations bill and will likely only succeed in defunding regulation.

a reply to: DarkGameGod

Then in their desire to watch out for us they end up allowing us to do something without their protection. The irony is blindingly hilarious.

a reply to: rickymouse

They will have to retrain all lobbyists to carry around a boom box and play Pink Floyd or ELO.

Appropriate!

a reply to: theantediluvian

You know what would be sad though? If after a few months from now and this situation has blown up in those two Congressmen's faces they try to spin what they did here as them championing for smaller government through less regulation. Naturally these two bozos are Republicans, the party that is supposed to be for smaller government and all.

a reply to: theantediluvian

I think this song is more appropriate:

a reply to: Krazysh0t

I was actually thinking the very same thing but I think they blew that opportunity when they threatened to lock up the Mayor.

a reply to: theantediluvian

Lol. Touche. Good point.

How do they think they have the authority to arrest anyone anyways? They are legislators in the Legislative branch. Not staff members in the Executive branch... They don't get to determine who needs arresting and who doesn't.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

That's a really good point. I can't imagine the DoJ is going to take any action so it's a pretty empty threat.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

Their ignorance is blatant when they cited the Anti-Deficiency Act in their letter as their basis for threatening arrest. The anti-deficiency act has to do with obligations being made by the Government that lack funding, or the fact that the Government can not accept voluntary (unpaid services).

The anti-deficiency act is not a means to regulate how an agency (or DC in this case) spends its money (without getting too complicated agencies have to spend their appropriated funds in the correct "coior" like R&D or Operations) but this seems like a major grasp at straws legally.

But then again, what do I know, I'm only a Contracting Officer with 300 some odd hours of Contract / Appropriations Law education, not some elite Congressman who believes they have the right to tell people what they can and can't put into their bodies...

a reply to: theantediluvian

Of course it is an empty threat. This is clearly a last ditch Hail Mary play in an attempt to slow or halt the implementation of this legislation at the last minute. Since this attempt is so flimsy, come 12:01 am eastern time people will be able to legally toke up in DC. Mark my words.

The biggest thing out of this is the unregulated marijuana market that will emerge out of this. I'm am very interested to see how THAT will play out. My hunch is that the city will work to get regulations in effect little by little instead of the all at once approach that the states that legalized used (since DC wasn't given a chance to do this and all).

If I were the mayor I'd make sure they arrested me. It would trigger a massive voters v. Congress showdown that would put a great deal of well-deserved stink all over those aholes. They should suffer the online equivalent of tar-and-feathering.

Apparently the Mayor is, in fact, planning on flipping-off Congress:

link

a reply to: Krazysh0t

And in other news Dominos Pizza opens up 18 new restaurants in the DC area, story at 7.

a reply to: jtma508

Bowser, though, brushed Chaffetz and Meadows back on Wednesday, saying they should worry about bigger problems -- like funding the Department of Homeland Security, which is set to shut down at week's end if Congress doesn't act.

And she took a shot at Republicans who have suggested she could wind up in jail for breaking federal law -- even though Congress has no powers to prosecute her.

"A lot of reasonable people have a different view of this issue. ... I have a lot of things to do here in the District of Columbia, and me being in jail wouldn't be a good thing," she said.

ZING!

a reply to: Krazysh0t
IMHO The mayor should threaten DC with a banning of all alcohol if they try to block this from getting implemented. Take away their golden calf and see how the congress critters react to it.

What's going on over there? Everyone getting stoned...but you can't smoke, mind you.

Cos that's bad for your health.

Can we set up some guillotines on capitol hill yet?