The D.C. Council on Monday downgraded the scope of a hearing on regulating marijuana sales to avoid legal concerns raised by the city’s attorney general – a move emblematic of the hurdles congressional oversight has created for the District in its quest to legalize pot.
Over the weekend, the D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine alerted council members that holding a hearing on the proposal would violate a congressional ban on spending money to enact legislation that loosens drug laws in the city. Warned that improper action could earn officials and staff jail time or $5,000 fines, council committees instead held an informal roundtable discussion to enable dozens of witnesses assembled Monday to testify on the issue.
The wrangling over the hearing is just one of a series of potential problems the city has encountered as it has tried to move forward with marijuana legalization following voters’ approval of Initiative 71 in November.
