How courageous of Republican Reps. Andy Harris (Md.) and Joe Pitts (Pa.) to answer "head-on" charges that it is hypocritical for proponents of self-government and democracy to overrule the District's marijuana initiative ["Congress's duty trumps D.C.'s vote," op-ed, Dec. 14]. The enormous flaw in their argument that federal interests should trump the will of District residents is that, unlike Mr. Harris and Mr. Pitts's constituents in Maryland and Pennsylvania, D.C. residents have no voice in defining those federal interests because we have no voting representation in Congress. [continues 117 words]
Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.), in expounding his rationale to negate the District's vote to legalize the possession of marijuana, wrote with his co-author that "Many studies have shown that use of marijuana can have a wide range of negative effects. . . . Marijuana is the illicit drug most frequently found to be a factor in car accidents, including fatal ones." According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2012 the licit drug alcohol was a factor in one-third of all traffic-related fatalities. Illicit drugs such as cocaine and marijuana were involved in 18 percent of all fatal accidents, but these drugs were often used in combination with alcohol. There is no clear-cut study available to date of marijuana alone causing traffic fatalities. It is interesting to note that, in his last election, Mr. Harris received $5,000 from the National Beer Wholesalers Association, more than $3,000 from Diageo, a liquor manufacturer and distributor, and $1,000 from the Distilled Spirits Council. Otts Laupus, Ellicott City [end]
Colbert I. King's Dec. 13 op-ed column, "The threat to D.C. home rule can't be ignored," asserted that the District was caught "flat-footed" by the language in the federal spending bill that blocked voter Initiative 71. Influential members of both parties who could have protected democracy in the District knew about this rider for months. Since the summer, activists, drug-policy reform experts and our elected leaders have urged members and staff to protect the will of D.C. voters. [continues 120 words]
I agree with Reps. Andy Harris and Joe Pitts. A ballot initiative on marijuana is not the way to change the law. Marijuana remains a harmful drug, and its legal status should be determined by scientific research and findings. For 40 years, drug lobbies and pro-drug enthusiasts have pushed for marijuana decriminalization and legalization as a way to open the door to ending the drug war and freeing up other harmful substances. Why? Because those drugs make the users feel good - despite their harmful effects - and the users want to continue to feel good at lower prices. [continues 106 words]
It's Too Soon to Roll a Marijuana Joint in the District of Columbia The most deceitful provisions in the $1.1 trillion spending bill passed by the lame-duck Congress are pinata provisions tucked in with the substantial. The Democrats were trying to get while the getting was good. But not every pinata provision in the spending bill is bad. The Republicans attached a rider to the measure expressing disapproval of the attempt to legalize recreational marijuana. It's a signal of more to come. District of Columbia voters approved legalizing small quantities of pot for recreational purposes on Nov. 4, by a margin of 2-to-1. But under Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution, the District proposes and Congress disposes. After the Republican-controlled House sent a clear anti-pot message, potheads and their friends marched to Capitol Hill for a sit-in in the offices of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to register their displeasure. [continues 456 words]
The congressional effort to block marijuana legalization in the District has been widely viewed as yet another frustrating defeat for self-governance by residents of the nation's capital. But city leaders are saying otherwise, promising to throw the issue back to Congress next month in a way that could prompt the most high-profile showdown in years over D.C. rights. The giant federal budget bill pending in the Senate on Saturday includes a provision, inserted by Republicans, that prohibits the city from spending tax dollars to enact the marijuana initiative. [continues 1476 words]
Legalized Marijuana in the Federal District Would Be a Recipe for Legal Chaos Many have asked why Republican legislators who profess respect for self-government and democracy would step in to overrule D.C. residents who voted to legalize recreational marijuana use in the city. We would like to answer that question head-on. Simply put, we believe that Congress must defend the federal government and the U.S. Constitution by preventing marijuana legalization from moving forward in the District. Federal policy on marijuana is neither arbitrary nor set in stone. Proper procedures exist for changing the way that marijuana is regulated in the United States, but a ballot initiative in the federal district is not one of them. If the city were allowed to proceed, it would create legal chaos. [continues 610 words]
We thought all the angles had been covered, since the Senate had passed D.C. home rule legislation seven times before. So on July 10, 1973, Committee on the District of Columbia Chairman Thomas Eagleton (D-Mo.) and ranking member Charles McC. Mathias Jr. (R-Md.), plus Robert Harris and me - the committee's majority and minority staff directors, respectively - entered the Senate chamber confident that the votes were there to pass the bill again. The outstanding question of the day was whether the House, which for reasons of race and politics was a burial ground for the city's hopes of home rule, could pass a similar bill under the leadership of new House District Committee Chairman Charles C. Diggs Jr. (D-Mich.), an African American and veteran congressman. So we thought. Our bill encountered smooth sailing on the floor as Eagleton and Mathias easily disposed of two amendments that we knew would be offered by GOP Sen. William Scott of Virginia. (Scott once called a news conference to deny he was "The King of Dumb," as he would be dubbed in a 1974 New Times cover story by Nina Totenberg.) But we weren't prepared for what came next. Republican Sen. Norris Cotton of New Hampshire took the floor, announced his support for the home rule bill and then offered an amendment that would authorize the president to appoint the District's police chief with the advice and consent of the Senate. [continues 541 words]
Washington - Elected officials and drug-policy advocates hoped to make the nation's capital the first place on the East Coast with legal pot. They wanted to use the District of Columbia as further encouragement for states to make their own marijuana laws, and they were optimistic that Congress wouldn't intervene, pointing to a Republican caucus that's far from unified against pot. Those hopes were crushed late Tuesday when Congress reached a $1.1 trillion spending deal that bars the District from legalizing marijuana. Rather than trying to vote down the pot initiative - which Congress has the power to do - opponents placed language in an essential spending bill that would prevent the city from spending any money to enact it. [end]
Regarding Samuel T. Wilkinson's Dec. 7 op-ed, "Big Pot?": As a retired detective and co-founder of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, I understand Dr. Wilkinson's concerns about marijuana. It should be given the same respect, laws and regulations as beer. What are the advantages of the current policy, in which drug cartels produce and distribute marijuana and thousands of teens are selling it off sidewalks and in schools? Is Dr. Wilkinson worried about replacing bloodthirsty cartels with government rules? That deserves more explanation. Howard Wooldridge, Adamstown, Md. [end]
There's New Opportunity for the Senate Drug Caucus Establishment Washington too often forgets that while most legislative matters affect segments of the country, drug policy is a national concern. When the American people gave Republicans majorities in both houses of the next Congress, they certainly indicated dissatisfaction with the performance of the Obama administration and the Democratic Party. But soon, the voters will ask what the Republican Congress has done with its leadership of the legislative branch. Despite strong majorities, Republicans are unlikely to override presidential vetoes, which means Congress will have limited power to implement sweeping changes that require presidential cooperation. Redefining issues and setting forth a governing agenda may therefore be as important as enacting laws for the next Congress. [continues 541 words]
Let City Govern Itself, Activists Say D.C. officials and activists for marijuana legalization launched a long-shot bid Wednesday to halt a federal budget deal that appeared poised to upend the city's successful ballot measure last month to legalize the drug. The day after Congress came to a tentative budget deal that included language intended to block the city's measure, proponents chanted and marched to Capitol Hill, held a sit-in at the office of Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) and promised to keep urging congressional leaders to let the District govern itself. [continues 1013 words]
It Allows State Marijuana Laws to Stand but Stirs to Action Against the District. THE FEDERAL spending bill now pending before Congress includes a provision that bars the Justice Department from spending any money to undermine state medical marijuana laws. It also includes an amendment that prohibits the Drug Enforcement Administration from interfering with a federal law that allows industrial hemp research in states that have approved it. But for the District of Columbia and its effort to legalize marijuana, it's a different story, with Congress showing no shame or compunction in trying to upend local authority. The hypocrisy is stunning even by the standards of Capitol Hill. [continues 293 words]
Federal Budget Rider Blocks Voter Referendum The congressional architect of an amendment in a massive federal spending bill that rolled back new D.C. marijuana laws says the bill will block the city's voter-approved referendum legalizing recreational use of the drug, despite assertions from local leaders that the initiative could stand. The addition of the "rider" in the $1.1 trillion budget measure released Tuesday sent D.C. lawmakers and activists scrambling Wednesday to determine the extent of the damage the amendment could cause as well as to lobby to have it removed. [continues 494 words]
The District will be prohibited from legalizing marijuana for the much of the coming year under a spending deal reached Tuesday between top Senate Democrats and House Republicans to fund the federal government through next September. The development - upending voter-approved Initiative 71 - shocked elected D.C. leaders, advocates for marijuana legalization and civil liberties groups who earlier in the day had grown confident that the measure would be at least partially protected while Democrats still controlled the Senate. However, with Republicans set to take control of the chamber in January, the defeat suggested that the will of D.C. voters - who approved marijuana legalization last month by a margin of more than 2 to 1 - may be suspended indefinitely. [continues 879 words]
Amendment Leaves City Leaders Scrambling The District's effort to tax and sell marijuana fell victim to federal budget negotiations, when lawmakers on Capitol Hill Tuesday inserted a amendment into a massive $1.1 trillion spending bill that effectively overturns a voter-approved ballot initiative legalizing the drug. The "rider," which Republicans had indicated they would attach to the spending bill, "prohibits both federal and local funds from being used to implement a referendum legalizing recreational marijuana use in the District," according to a summary of the bill posted on the House Appropriations Committee website. [continues 653 words]
The Marijuana Industry Is Following Big Tobacco's Lead - With Dire Consequences Last month, people voted to legalize recreational use of marijuana in Oregon, Alaska and the District. As the movement toward marijuana legalization continues, lawmakers and policy experts are looking to the experiments in Colorado and Washington for guidance. We should not overlook, however, valuable lessons from our experience with another legal drug: tobacco. In the late 19th century, the landscape of tobacco consumption was very different than it is today. [continues 669 words]
With the legalization of marijuana by District voters this month, the fun begins for some, and pitfalls begin for others. As the kinks are worked out before the distribution and sales arrangements are unveiled, we can look at what we have gotten ourselves into. The legalization of pot takes marijuana out of the shadows, removing it from the black-market economy that fosters further criminal activity. It could potentially allow the government to monitor its use and sales and to tax these sales. It eliminates a whole category of criminal trials and incarcerations. [continues 470 words]
In her Nov. 22 letter, "Take a harder look at marijuana," Stephanie Babyak Nickerson responded to a recommendation for legalization with a non sequitur about whether marijuana is any more harmful than tobacco. Few are arguing that marijuana is healthy. The question is whether people should be allowed to make their own decisions to use marijuana based on their assessments of the risks involved, as we do with so many other substances and activities. Doug Adams, Fairfax [end]
Bipartisan Bill Would Free Agency's Staff From Restrictions VA cannot prescribe pot even to veterans in states where medical marijuana is legal. Arguing that medical marijuana may help wounded warriors with anxiety and stress disorders "survive and thrive," Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) and Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) have introduced legislation that would allow Department of Veterans Affairs doctors to recommend the drug for some patients. The Veterans Equal Access Act would challenge a VA policy that forbids doctors to consult about medical pot use. The bill was filed after The Washington Post reported on the issue this month. [continues 482 words]
The Nov. 19 Metro article "Council votes to overhaul seizures" reported that D.C. police have taken for years "cash, cars and other property" from people not charged with crimes without oversight. I am outraged. Which part of "effective immediately" doesn't the D.C. Council know how to spell? Why wait till 2018 to fully overhaul the city's asset forfeiture program, directing seized proceeds to the city's general fund instead of to the police department? The idea that the department appropriated funds in advance of crimes being perpetrated and prosecuted is outrageous. It's easy to imagine police entrapments or pay-to-play shenanigans that would bring in cash to balance the forecast. I urge the D.C. Council to consider "effective immediately" to avoid national disgrace for having engaged in the asset forfeiture scam in the first place, thereby making crime pay before it happens. For shame, for shame. Danielle Greene, Falls Church [end]
The Nov. 18 Health & Science commentary "PTA mom says it's time to legalize marijuana" contained a good deal of parenting advice but not much science. As the debate on marijuana continues, it is critical that science be part of the discussion. Today's marijuana is much stronger than in decades past, and new research is raising concerns. A long-term study found that heavy marijuana use in teens resulted in an IQ loss of eight points and that teens are at risk of dependency and going on to use harder drugs. Marijuana smoke contains numerous carcinogens. A 20-year research study found that marijuana use doubles the risk of psychotic disorder and leads to poor attention and memory. Drugged driving significantly increased the risk of motor vehicle collisions. [continues 61 words]
U.S. Pledged to Help Stop Spread Allowing marijuana legalization in the District leaves the United States vulnerable to charges it is violating international treaties aimed at stemming the drug trade, the nonpartisan research arm of Congress concluded in an analysis that could strengthen the resolve of lawmakers on Capitol Hill to overturn the measure. Though four states have voted to legalize the drug, a report issued this week by the Congressional Research Service suggests that implementation of the District's Initiative 71 could be considered the most direct affront to international agreements because Congress has oversight of local D.C. laws and the ability to overturn them. [continues 1046 words]
Law Enforcement Needs to Stop Extorting Innocent Victims The D.C. Council later today will vote on whether to adopt a package of reforms designed to restrict the ability of D.C. law enforcement officials to seize the property of those connected to, but innocent of, wrongdoing. Civil forfeiture has been termed "policing for profit," because in many states and local jurisdictions law enforcement agencies that seize such property are allowed to keep the cash realized from its sale or the cash itself if that is what is seized, and use it as they will. [continues 474 words]
Department Has Incentive to Keep Cars D.C. lawmakers are pushing forward with legislation to reform policies allowing police to seize property from people they stop, regardless of whether criminal charges are ever filed - a practice called civil asset forfeiture that is facing increasing scrutiny nationwide. Among the changes, the D.C. Council has proposed diverting profits from seizures into the city's general fund instead of letting the police department keep and spend the money, reducing the appearance that officers have an incentive to take cash or cars. [continues 950 words]
Let's Help Kids Be Safe If They Decide to Break the Rules I'm a mom of three, a PTA president, and I'm in favor of cannabis legalization. When I was a sophomore at a small liberal arts college in Vermont, I devoured books on world religions while knitting wool hats and changing the litter box for the pot-bellied pig that I co-owned briefly with my roommate and two friends. I was a turn-of-the-century hippie, and although I abhor stereotypes, some of them you might conjure up were spot on. ( Yes, I smoked pot.) [continues 1066 words]
Runaway Crime Has Been Replaced by Rogue Executive Power Whether your metric is the use of the executive branch's awesome investigative and prosecutorial powers to punish the administration critics, the stonewalling and misleading of congressional investigations, or the racially discriminatory enforcement of civil rights laws in violation of the Constitution's equalprotection principles, the Obama Justice Department is the most politicized in the nation's history. But the conversion of the rule of law from a foundation of ordered liberty to a political weapon may have at least one silver lining. Growing public alarm over the abuse of executive power spotlights some wayward prosecutorial practices that have been building for decades. Among them is civil forfeiture. It has devolved from a useful tool for defunding major criminal enterprises to a dangerous gutting of due process for ordinary Americans. [continues 707 words]
Little Interest in Blocking Law Republicans Describe Other Priorities Looming over the District's historic decision this month to legalize marijuana has been another mandate that voters delivered on Election Day: A Republican majority on Capitol Hill with the power to interfere with the measure when it goes to Congress for review. But congressional Republicans appear to have other things on their minds. "To be honest, that's pretty far down my list of priorities," said Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), who was maneuvering late last week to force a vote on U.S.-Iran nuclear talks. [continues 1023 words]
It was Election Day in the District, but as Ian Hilton walked past a polling place on Vermont Avenue NW, he was stunned to detect the pungent scent of pot. "Usually, I don't smell anyone smoking a joint out in public," said Hilton, who owns several D.C. bars with his musician brother, Eric. It wasn't even clear yet whether Washingtonians would vote to legalize weed, but the distinctive aroma wafting toward his nostrils had Hilton bracing himself. He wondered: Will pot-smoking bar patrons be his next big headache? [continues 1070 words]
The Post's Justin Moyer Says Pot Has Gone From Rebellious to Tedious This past week, D.C. advanced America's 21stcentury war on its 20th-century war on drugs. Now that marijuana is somewhat legal, the city's African American residents are less likely to be disproportionately arrested for a victimless crime. If the cannabis industry stays out of town, D.C. Council members, who should spend time fixing the city's public schools, won't be preoccupied with regulating a substance arguably less harmful than alcohol. And police officers who should be chasing bank robbers and murderers will no longer bust college students carrying dime bags. [continues 875 words]
Although residents of Washington voted overwhelmingly in favor of legalizing marijuana this week - a move that could put penalty-free pot within an hour's drive of Baltimore - the ballot initiative faces an uncertain future. The measure, which would make it legal for people over 21 to possess 2 ounces of marijuana and grow up to three plants, has triggered some concern on Capitol Hill and among Maryland authorities. On election night, U.S. Rep. Andy Harris immediately vowed to fight the measure in Congress, which must approve such laws in the nation's capital. [continues 858 words]
WASHINGTON (AP) - The national marijuana legalization debate ismoving into the backyard of a Republican-controlled Congress, now that the District of Columbia has voted to legalize growing, possessing and sharing small amounts of pot. Voters in Oregon and Alaska also approved legalization initiatives, joining Colorado and Washington state, where pot is already legally available. But while states out West enjoy both autonomy and distance, federal lawmakers have the power to quash any District law they don't like. And with legalization getting a foothold on the East Coast for the first time, the District's initiative could force Congress to make decisions affecting the future of legal pot nationwide. [continues 475 words]
Congress to Weigh in on Marijuana The national marijuana legalization debate is moving into the backyard of a Republican-controlled Congress, now that the District of Columbia has voted to legalize growing, possessing, and sharing small amounts of the drug. Voters in Oregon and Alaska also approved legalization initiatives, joining Colorado and Washington state, where marijuana is already legally available. But while states out West enjoy both autonomy and distance, federal lawmakers have the power to quash any District law they don't like. And with legalization getting a foothold on the East Coast for the first time, the District's initiative could force Congress to make decisions affecting the future of legal marijuana nationwide. [continues 330 words]
Now That D.C. Voters Have Spoken, Congress Should Not Interfere With Marijuana Legalization. D.C. VOTERS, as expected, gave overwhelming approval to a ballot initiative that would legalize marijuana and, as expected, there were immediate rumblings from Capitol Hill of plans to block its implementation. We did not favor passage of Initiative 71, but we do believe in democracy and self-government. Congress should recognize how inappropriate it would be to interfere with the District on this local issue. Within hours of Tuesday's passage of a measure that would make it permissible for adults in the District to possess as much as 2 ounces of marijuana, Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.) signaled his interest in preventing the law from going into effect. "I will consider using all resources available to a member of Congress to stop this action," said Mr. Harris, who previously tried to upend the District's decriminalization of marijuana. Mr. Harris said his interest stems from concerns about the possible impact of legalization on adolescent drug use, yet he has shown little interest in the welfare of teenagers who reside in states that have moved to legalize the drug. [continues 230 words]
28 Drug Indictments to Be Dismissed in Light of Probe Federal prosecutors said Wednesday they will dismiss indictments against 28 defendants in District drug cases amid an investigation of an FBI agent accused of tampering with evidence, including narcotics and guns, according to newly unsealed court documents. Fourteen of those defendants have already pleaded guilty and were serving sentences - one was a year into a 10-year term - and prosecutors said they can withdraw their guilty pleas and the charges would be dropped. A hearing is scheduled Friday in U.S. District Court for many of the defendants. The stunning action by the U.S. attorney's office came as authorities continue to scrutinize cases that the agent, assigned to a D.C. police task force in the FBI's Washington field office, may have been involved with. The agent, who has not been charged criminally, has been suspended in what officials describe as a misconduct investigation. [continues 772 words]
Celebration quickly gave way to uncertainty on Wednesday for supporters of a voter-approved initiative to legalize marijuana in the District, with the reality sinking in that when the measure reaches Capitol Hill for review, the party least likely to support it will be in charge. One conservative House Republican from neighboring Maryland immediately vowed to use all of his power to upend Initiative 71, which would allow D.C. residents and visitors to have up to 2 ounces of marijuana for personal use and would allow home cultivation of up to three plants. [continues 839 words]
City Joins Colorado, Washington State in Allowing the Drug "If your job is over at 5 o'clock and you want to have cannabis instead of a glass of scotch, so be it." Adam Eidinger, advocate for marijuana legalization The District followed Colorado and Washington state into a closely watched experiment to legalize marijuana Tuesday, as voters overwhelmingly backed an initiative 7 to 3 allowing cannabis to be consumed and grown in the nation's capital. The move to allow the drug almost certainly will take effect unless the next Congress blocks it. [continues 979 words]
He has already collected the signatures, counted the names, registered the voters, created the spreadsheets, made the phone calls and stapled the signs, and finally, it is 6:20 a.m. on Election Day. Eric Butler Jr. is on his front stoop. He identifies as an entrepreneur, an advocate and a guy who takes care of his 88-year-old grandmother. But he's also a "wake-and-bake and nightcap" kind of guy. Now he's awake, and so, he will bake. [continues 989 words]
THE fresh air of the White House's rose garden may soon be fragrant with the smell of cannabis. On Tuesday, while other Americans are voting for their senators and congressman - residents of Washington DC are expected to vote overwhelmingly to legalise marijuana. The referendum would go beyond decriminalisation and give the drug full legal status, meaning it may one day be possible to set up a dope shop across the street from the halls of Congress. A yes vote in the US capital would be a hugely symbolic ripple in the wave of marijuana liberalisation sweeping America. Recreational cannabis is already on sale in Colorado and Washington state where the laws are more relaxed than Amsterdam - and may soon be legal in Alaska and Oregon. [continues 536 words]
On Tuesday, voters will decide whether to take the next giant leap in the pro-marijuana movement by approving ballot measures that call for legalizing recreational use. It's not too late to vote no. There has been an awful lot of discourse on how to accomplish legalization, but not so much on how to move in the opposite direction. Since Colorado and Washington are already leading the way in the pro-pot effort, I'll lay out three succinct reasons why voters should push back. [continues 492 words]
Officials Estimate Potential Revenue But Coming Vote Is on Possession, Not Sales If D.C. residents vote to legalize marijuana possession next week, it wouldn't just mean a sea change in drug policy in the nation's capital. It could also mean big business. A study by District financial officials shared Thursday with lawmakers estimates a legal D.C. cannabis market worth $130 million a year. The ballot initiative voters will see Tuesday does not allow for the legal sale of marijuana - only the possession and home cultivation of small amounts - but D.C. Council members gathered Thursday to hear testimony about what a legal sales framework might look like. [continues 655 words]
Polling shows majority of voters support measure D.C. lawmakers, advocates and business owners spent Thursday debating the finer points of the regulation and taxation of marijuana in the District, moving past what appears to be the foregone conclusion that voters Tuesday will approve legalization of the drug. The views on legalized pot have shifted dramatically over the last year among city lawmakers, many of whom were initially wary of such an approach and opted to support the less controversial course toward decriminalization. [continues 554 words]
Racial Disparities Still Exist in Enforcement Not even the threat of legal penalty has kept marijuana users from making it the most commonly used recreational drug after alcohol and tobacco. But in black America, marijuana's harsh penalty is evergreen: It is a consistent gateway into jails that lock away mostly young black folk, including those who don't have prior arrest records. Society colors our perception of the people who use marijuana. White marijuana users are often perceived as good people who made a mistake; black marijuana users bear the stigma of "criminals" or "thugs." The gap in perception has real consequences, as seen in the inequitable arrests and unjust sentencing across racial lines. Every day, the danger of this disparity floods our legal system, and nothing short of legalization of marijuana use will stem the tide. Fifty-eight percent of Americans already support this policy, and it is time we affirmed their wisdom. [continues 559 words]
On a warm Seattle summer evening in 1978, my wife wanted to talk about my increasingly frequent pot smoking: "I feel you've abandoned me, that the person I married-even when you're sitting next to me on the couch - is not there." She had complained before about my use, and I'd tried to reassure her. "It's not as if I'm stoned every day," I'd counter. "Is it that different from having a drink or two?" I'd promise to cut back, but my resolve would give way, and I'd start to cut corners, making exceptions to the rules I'd set. Eventually I'd slide right back to where I started. [continues 647 words]
LoDo Wellness Center, which calls itself the largest marijuana dispensary in the trendy Lower Downtown ("LoDo") area, is a mellow place, decorated with Oriental rugs, sofas and statues of Buddha. Yet there's a moment of mild tension when you arrive: Staff members politely insist on proof that you are either older than 21 and eligible to shop in the "retail" area or older than 18 with a doctor approved "red card" for access to the private "medical" area. The latter is on the other side of a door marked "must remain locked at all times." [continues 741 words]
With Marijuana Decriminalized in the District, Why Not Pause and Take Stock? MOST VOTES have yet to be cast in the District's referendum on legalizing marijuana, but the D.C. Council is already making plans on how to regulate sales. The premature move is in keeping with the heedless rush to put the city's imprimatur on use of a drug whose impacts are still not fully known. It is not too late for more prudent judgment to prevail; voters on Nov. 4 could slow the push for legalization by voting no on Initiative 71. [continues 425 words]
As an ethics officer, I am stunned over the inherent conflicts of interest ignored by law enforcement agencies ["Seized assets fuel police spending," front page, Oct. 12]. It is unconscionable that the same individuals responsible for deciding what assets to seize and executing that seizure are then allowed to take advantage of its disposition. This creates an incentive to seize assets to fund activities not provided through the formal budgeting process, beyond interrupting narcotics operations or other illegal activities. Aside from the repeated and increasingly public abuses of this practice, the lack of formal procedures for seizure and disposition is embarrassing to law enforcement, whose judgment we are asked to trust. Combined with repeated accusations by citizens that police issue traffic and parking tickets to make money, this practice comes close to the definition of robbery and further decreases trust in law enforcement. In addition to greater transparency over seizure, I hope that law enforcement agencies move swiftly to formally and publicly relinquish all use of seized property for their own activities. Mark R. Haas, Gaithersburg [end]
Why has there not been more specific information about constitutional rights in The Post's "Stop and Seize" series, including in the Oct. 12 installment? The Fifth Amendment was written to constrain the federal government ("No person shall . . . be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation"), and the 14th Amendment was written to constrain the states ("[N]or shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law"). If courts have upheld this practice despite the plain language of these two important amendments to the Constitution, something is wrong with the courts. Stephen M. Miller, Rockville [end]
(AP) - A debate over legalizing marijuana in the nation's capital is focusing on the outsized number of arrests of African-Americans on minor drug charges. Pot legalization supporters in Colorado and Washington state also spoke about racial justice, but their voters are mostly white and their campaigns focused more on other issues. The race factor hits closer to many more homes in the District, where nearly half the population is black. There are many other differences between the District and states that have legalized pot. The city is a patchwork of local and federal land, and there will be no lighting up in front of the White House or at the Jefferson Memorial. Also, Washington remains under the thumb of Congress, which could thwart the will of the voters as it has on other matters where liberal District tendencies clash with Capitol Hill. A poll last month showed nearly 2 of every 3 voters favor the initiative, which will be on November's ballot. [end]
WASHINGTON (AP) - A debate over legalizing marijuana in the nation's capital is focusing on the outsized number of arrests of African Americans on minor drug charges. Pot legalization supporters in Colorado and Washington state also spoke about racial justice, but their voters are mostly white and their campaigns focused more on other issues. The race factor hits closer to many more homes in the District, where nearly half the population is black. And that means this referendum could change how the nation talks about marijuana, some drug-policy experts say. [continues 429 words]
Inside District of Columbia
