A congressional panel approved a spending bill for Fiscal Year 2024 on Thursday, which would renew the federal ban that has prevented Washington, D.C., from regulating marijuana sale for almost a decade.
Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-DC, said that she was “outraged”, to see the anti-home-rule riders included in legislation passed by the House Appropriations Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee.
The District of Columbia has been prevented from using tax dollars for the creation of a commercial cannabis market by the rider that Rep. Andy Harris (R) put forward. The ban was attempted to be lifted under Democratic control. However, the rider is still part of each year’s final spending package.
The policy was intentionally added to the base bill now that Republicans hold the majority in the House. A summary notes that the “ban on federal and local funding for legalizing marijuana in D.C.”
Norton, who has long argued for D.C.’s statehood, criticized the prohibition . In a press statement, Norton said that she was “pleased” with many provisions of the D.C. Spending Bill, but “outraged,” at certain components which restrict the city’s power to determine its own policies. This includes the cannabis ban.
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Even some GOP members are questioning the rider. It is not yet clear whether any legislators will attempt to amend legislation before the full Appropriations committee or in the House.
At a hearing of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee last month, James Comer appeared sympathetic to the problem . He told D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser, (D), that her remarks about the rider was among “things that captured my attention.”
He said, “I did not know the law on that.” “We are researching that.”
This issue was raised separately in written testimony in March for an hearing before Comer’s panel.
The federal blockade has been a long-standing issue for advocates, but it was not resolved for the fiscal year 2023. Congress passed a final budget deal for the new session, which kept the rider in place, despite the fact that the House and Senate had omitted the language from their versions of last year.
Eleanor Holmes Norton, a U.S. Representative from Washington, D.C. , called on President Joe Biden to go even further and legalize cannabis federally, allowing the District to establish its own commercial cannabis market, and granting clemency.
The congresswoman stated that the local ban was continued in Biden’s three first budget proposals and represents “a shocking violation of D.C. Home Rule by a Democratic Administration.”
A coalition of local and state advocacy groups requested the U.S. Attorney General last year adopt a formal policy of non-enforcement in order to allow the District of Columbia to legalize the sale of marijuana despite the continuing congressional ban.
According to a poll conducted last year, D.C. Voters strongly support marijuana legalization, and oppose any crackdown on a cannabis “gifting market” that has emerged due to the lack of regulated sales.
Congress has recently allowed a D.C. medical marijuana law to come into effect , which makes major changes to this program.
This measure includes reforms like eliminating the cannabis business licensing cap, providing tax relief for operators, promoting social equality and creating new regulated categories of businesses such as on-site cannabis consumption facilities and cooking classes.
The Medical Cannabis Amendment Act codifies the fact that adults may self-certify themselves as medical marijuana patients. This policy has served as a partial solution to the federal rider.
The House Armed Services Committee approved on Wednesday a massive defense bill, which includes GOP-led provisions for creating a “pilot program” to test medical marijuana and requiring a study of the therapeutic potential of psychoedelics among active duty military personnel under the U.S. Department of Defense.
VA doctors could recommend medical marijuana to veterans in states where it is legal under a bill approved by Senate committee
Photo by Philip Steffan.
The article Congressional lawmakers approve spending bill that would continue blocking marijuana sales in D.C. first appeared on Marijuana Moment.
