Editor's Note: For additional background on the situation in D.C., you might want to read Cannabis Business Times' article, "Congressional Review Next Step for D.C. Recreational Marijuana Law."
The D.C. Council is pursuing a regulatory scheme for the sale and taxation of marijuana, scheduling hearings on proposed legislation that flies in the face of congressional attempts to prevent the District from loosening its drug laws.
City officials say council committees expect to begin hearings on the bill in early February – a move that will gauge how far D.C. lawmakers are willing to challenge Congress on the issue.
“All we’re talking about is a hearing,” Mr. Mendelson said. “I don’t think that’s inappropriate. And I think trying to muffle public discussion would implicate constitutional issues. It would be bad public policy.”
The District is still wrangling with Republican members of Congress over the fate the city’s marijuana legalization initiative, which seven out of 10 voters supported at the ballot box in November.
