D.C. Votes To Legalize Marijuana

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Well, at least there's this.

D.C. Votes To Legalize Marijuana

Matt Cohen in News on Nov 5, 2014 12:16 am

With nearly 70 percent in favor, voters overwhelmingly voted to legalize marijuana in the District of Columbia.

Initiative 71, which was authored and submitted by the D.C. Cannabis Campaign, will allow adults over the age of 21 to legally posses up to two ounces of marijuana, as well as cultivate up to three mature cannabis plants at home. Additionally, the ballot initiative allows for adults to give—but not sell—up to one ounce away. At the polls today, 69.4 percent of District voters voted in favor of the initiative, with a total of 95,531.

“This victory is dedicated to everyone still sitting in jail tonight because of marijuana prohibition," Cannabis Campaign chairman Adam Eidinger said in a release. “District residents have made their voices heard loud and clear. The road to justice won’t end on Capitol Hill.”

But don't start sparking up yet, D.C., because the ballot initiative does not allow for legal smoking in public. Moreover, the initiative passing doesn't automatically make marijuana possession legal in D.C. right away. Like all legislation in the District, Initiative 71 has to go through a 60-day Congressional review period. However, the D.C. Council is likely to delay the initiative in order to put together a taxation and regulation bill—proposed by Councilmember David Grosso (I-At Large)—that will allow for the regulated sale of marijuana in the District. Still, there are a number of scenarios that could play out.

[Kalidurga]

1. My take away is that

ballot initiatives work.

[Chathamization]

2. That and the At-Large results made me fairly happy

Not happy with the attorney general race, but that was to be expected. And for Mayor at least we'll have

Now with Silverman, Allen, and Nadeau (...and possibly Grosso?) the council might have a decent progressive bloc. And with Bowser out of Ward 4, we have another seat opening up (though I think Robert White might end up being the front runner for that...hope Hagler gets it though). Overall, I'm pretty happy.

But eh...my guess as to the reason why Michael D. Brown got third place in the At-Large race (pretty shocking) was that a number of people confused him with Michael A. Brown. No one was expecting him to do that well.