Marijuana now legal in DC, despite threats from Congress

International (IraqiNews.com) — Defying threats from Congress, the District of Columbia legalized possession of marijuana for recreational purposes on Thursday, becoming the first place east of the Mississippi River with legal pot.

The new law took effect at 12:01 a.m., despite last-minute maneuvers by Republican leaders in Congress and threats that city leaders could face prison time. Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser, who took office in January, said it was her duty to implement the initiative city voters approved overwhelmingly in November.

“This is a major milestone on the road to ending marijuana prohibition in the United States,” said Robert Capecchi of the Marijuana Policy Project, which advocates for legalization. “If the president can brew and drink beer in the White House, adults should be allowed to grow and consume a less harmful substance in their houses.”

Possession of up to 2 ounces of pot for use at home is now legal, and people are also permitted to grow up to three mature plants. Smoking marijuana in public remains illegal, as does buying or selling the drug.

On Tuesday, Alaska also implemented a voter initiative legalizing the private use, sharing and cultivation of recreational pot, but lawmakers there won’t implement the next phase — creating a regulated market where legal marijuana can be sold and taxed — until 2016 at least.

The District’s initiative, approved by 65 percent of the voters in November, only addressed personal possession, not taxation or regulation, and District leaders acknowledge that Congress blocked any effort to implement a legal marijuana market. But they believe Congress acted too late to stop legalization for private use. /End/