DC’s Up-‘Hill’ Battle
Back in November, DC voters approved a ballot initiative to legalize possession (of up to two ounces) and cultivation of recreational marijuana. One of the many special things about DC, though, is that all ballot initiatives must be submitted to Congress for review before they can take effect. DC thought it best to wait until the new Congress arrived in Washington at the beginning of the year. So, on January 13th, DC sent the ballot initiative to the Hill for the required 30 legislative days of review, which now runs until February 26. In order to ‘disapprove’ the ballot initiative, both the House and the Senate would need to pass a ‘disapproval resolution,’ and then the President would need to sign it. Unless that happens, the ballot initiative will become law. There is no word yet on what will happen on the Hill leading up to the February 26th deadline, but hearings seem likely and litigation is certainly not out of the question. Stay tuned.
