Bob Barr Celebrates Death of "So-Called Barr Amendment"

Katherine Mangu-Ward | July 20, 2009

The City Paper reports on weed in Washington:

Last week, the House of Representatives at long last voted to kill the Barr Amendment—a rider banning D.C.’s implementation of a medical marijuana initiative passed in 1998. It was originally sponsored by Georgia congressman Bob Barr and has been attached to the annual District budget for a decade.

And now a press release from the Libertarian Party, featuring Barr, who is once again contrite for his past Republicanisms:

“While I in fact sponsored the initial appropriations limitation in 1998, the years since then have witnessed such a dramatic increase in federal government power and an unprecedented decrease in individual liberty, especially since 2001, that I have come to realize that such limitations as the so-called “Barr Amendment” are not and cannot be justified. It has become necessary to reevaluate the power of the federal government that I and others once were able or willing to justify, and do what we can to roll back the tide of government control."

Welcome to the party, Bob.