Mayor Muriel Bowser Unveils Bill to Legalize Recreational Marijuana Sales in D.C.

Under current law, residents can legally grow and possess small amounts of cannabis, but they cannot legally purchase it.

Recreational Marijuana Adobe Stock Credit Soru Epotok Resized
Top photo: © Soru Epotok | Adobe Stock
SFGate
May 2, 2019

WASHINGTON - Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser will announce legislation Thursday to legalize and regulate recreational marijuana dispensaries in the nation's capital, setting up a potential showdown with the federal government.

Washington D.C.'s marijuana laws are in limbo. Residents can legally grow and possess small amounts of the drug under a 2014 voter-approved law. But they cannot legally purchase marijuana, and the city cannot tax sales, because of a provision in the federal budget that prohibits the District of Columbia from enacting or enforcing marijuana legalization laws.

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