During the 2014 Election Washington D.C. voters approved marijuana legalization by a wider margin than any state has up to this point. Despite the landslide victory, and the clear message sent by D.C. voters, federal politicians tried very hard to derail the initiative from becoming law. Federal politicians tried to include language in the federal spending bill aimed at preventing the initiative from being implemented. They didn’t succeed, and assuming Congress takes no further action in coming weeks, the initiative will become the law of the land in D.C..
The battle will then transition to whether or not D.C. will be allowed to roll out legal recreational marijuana sales. According to hardworking activist Tom Angell from the Marijuana Majority, Obama’s recently released budget would allow that to occur. Tom Angell posted the following comparison of the language from Congress and Obama’s budget on Marijuana.Com yesterday, which can be seen below:
Obama Budget Language
SEC. 809.
(a) None of the Federal funds contained in this Act may be used to enact or carry out any law, rule, or regulation to legalize or otherwise reduce penalties associated with the possession, use, or distribution of any schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 801 et seq.) or any tetrahydrocannabinols derivative.
(b) None of the Federal funds contained in this Act may be used to enact any law, rule, or regulation to legalize or otherwise reduce penalties associated with the possession, use, or distribution of any schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 801 et seq.) or any tetrahydrocannabinols derivative for recreational purposes.
Congressional Language
SEC. 809.
(a) None of the Federal funds contained in this Act may be used to enact or carry out any law, rule, or regulation to legalize or otherwise reduce penalties associated with the possession, use, or distribution of any schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 801 et seq.) or any tetrahydrocannabinols derivative.
(b) None of the funds contained in this Act may be used to enact any law, rule, or regulation to legalize or otherwise reduce penalties associated with the possession, use, or distribution of any schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 801 et seq.) or any tetrahydrocannabinols derivative for recreational purposes.
In this case, words make all the difference. Obama’s budget is essentially just a proposal at this point, and requires committees from both chambers of Congress to approve it. That means that it’s far from a slam dunk, and there will no doubt be hurdles and attacks from the same politicians that have been trying to derail legal marijuana implementation in D.C.. However, this is still extremely significant.
