D.C. Marijuana Initiative
In November 2014, 70 percent of Washington, D.C., voters approved Initiative 71, legalizing the possession and cultivation of small amounts of marijuana. Subsequently, Congress moved to block the initiative by attaching a rider to an omnibus spending bill stating that “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 1 substance.” (Under the Controlled Substances Act, Schedule 1 substances, which include marijuana, are those that are deemed to have no currently accepted medical use in…
