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 A $1.1 trillion spending bill negotiated by lawmakers on Tuesday
barred the U.S. capital from using funds to implement Initiative 71,
which legalized possession of small amounts of marijuana in
Washington.
Voters easily approved the measure last month but Congress has the
power to restrict D.C. municipal spending. A provision in the bill
bars any spending by the District to legalize or reduce penalties
for marijuana.
Eleanor Holmes Norton, the district's non-voting representative in
Congress, said in a statement the amendment on marijuana was
unclear.
She said she would try to have it removed from the bill before the
full House of Representatives and Senate vote on it. The measure
funds federal agencies that otherwise would run out of money at
midnight on Thursday.
"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," Norton said.
Dr. Malik Burnett, policy manager for the Drug Policy Alliance, said
Initiative 71 was a civil rights issue since blacks made up 90
percent of district marijuana arrests even though non-blacks used
pot at similar rates.
"D.C. voters chose to reform their marijuana laws, which have a
direct impact on how communities of color interact with police.
Congress should not undermine this," he said.
Protesters waving a District of Columbia flag bearing the slogan "No
Taxation Without Representation" briefly blocked traffic a few
blocks from the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday evening. Police stood by
but made no arrests.
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Malik Burnett of the D.C. Cannabis Campaign said 70 percent of
voters supported legalization.
"Now Congress has said the District of Columbia cannot carry out the
will of the people," he said.
Some Republican lawmakers, led by Representative Andy Harris of
Maryland, had balked at legalization in Washington. The city has one
of the lightest U.S. penalties for pot possession, although
marijuana is illegal under federal law.
The White House warned Congress in July to leave the District of
Columbia alone on legalization. But with prompt passage of the
funding bill essential to avoiding a government shutdown, the
legislation is not expected to be held up over the marijuana
measure.
Speaker John Boehner predicted the House would approve the measure
on Thursday.
(Additional reporting by Tom Ramstack; Editing by Bill Trott and
Eric Walsh)
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