Why Congress Probably Won't Block Marijuana Legalization in Washington, D.C.
Yesterday four members of Congress held a press conference at which they argued that legislators should not interfere with marijuana legalization in Washington, D.C. In my latest Forbes column, I explain why such meddling is unlikely. Here is how the piece starts:
At a press conference yesterday, Eleanor Holmes Norton, the District of Columbia's congressional delegate, urged her colleagues to respect the will of the voters who overwhelmingly approved marijuana legalization in the nation's capital last week. She was joined by three congressmen, including Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), who said trying to block legalization in D.C. or in Alaska and Oregon, where voters also said no to marijuana prohibition last week, would flout "fundamental principles" that "Republicans have always talked about," including "individual liberties," "limited government," and "states' rights and the 10th Amendment."
Norton noted that "we've had a threat to try to overturn our legalization initiative." She was referring to Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.), who after the D.C. vote told The Washington Post, "I will consider using all resources available to a member of Congress to stop this action." Although there is no doubting Harris's sincerity, those resources probably will prove inadequate.