Editor's Note: Many began celebrating in D.C. the moment the final votes were counted legalizing possession and home cultivation of marijuana. But the real celebration has to wait until Initiative 71 is submitted to Congress for review. Depending on who you talk to, Congress' likely reaction varies. Here's a great look (and a positive one) at the situation by Forbes contributor Jacob Sullum:

At a press conference yesterday, Eleanor Holmes Norton, the District of Columbia’s congressional delegate, urged her colleagues to respect the will of the voters who overwhelmingly approved marijuana legalization in the nation’s capital last week. She was joined by three congressmen, including Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), who said trying to block legalization in D.C. or in Alaska and Oregon, where voters also said no to marijuana prohibition last week, would flout “fundamental principles” that “Republicans have always talked about,” including “individual liberties,” “limited government,” and “states’ rights and the 10th Amendment.”

Norton noted that “we’ve had a threat to try to overturn our legalization initiative.” She was referring to Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.), who after the D.C. vote told The Washington Post, “I will consider using all resources available to a member of Congress to stop this action.” Although there is no doubting Harris’s sincerity, those resources probably will prove inadequate.

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While the opening of a new marijuana retail store tends to get the most public attention, Pueblo County officials are beginning to see more applicants interested in simply growing pot in Pueblo and selling it elsewhere.

The county has either approved or will hear an application for 11 licensees interested solely in growing marijuana in Pueblo.

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Editor's Note: More potential hurdles arise from marijuana's status as a Schedule 1 drug–and as such, it is still considered illegal by the Federal government.

Alaska voters approved Ballot Measure 2 on Nov. 4, effectively legalizing recreational marijuana in Alaska. But even though the law is still months from taking effect, there are big questions about what exactly will be legal.

One of the major issues to be resolved is transportation of marijuana via air and water to the many Alaska communities that are off the main road system. With federal law governing much of that travel, the legality of transporting small amounts of marijuana that way is in question.

“It all depends on what the law says,” said John Parrott, airport manager at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport.

Parrott was referring to the state laws and regulations that will govern marijuana enforcement. The state won’t begin crafting those laws until February, when the initiative goes into effect. From there, the state has nine months to come up with rules.

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Editor's Note: Yet another major news outlet speaks out in support of legalizing marijuana (led off by The New York Times' editorial series in July calling for a repeal of marijuana prohibition, with The Denver Post's editorial board telling Congress to "get the message" that Americans are increasingly in favor of legalization.

With voters in Oregon, Alaska and Washington, D.C., passing measures to approve legalizing marijuana and polls reflecting a growing acceptance of the idea, Congress should begin to get the message.

The first test for the new Republican-controlled Congress will be whether it approves Washington, D.C.'s vote, which passed by a 2-to-1 margin and would allow residents and visitors to have up to 2 ounces of marijuana for personal use and home cultivation of up to three plants.

Federal lawmakers who have oversight of the District of Columbia shouldn't deny the democratic process in, of all places, the nation's capital.

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