Marijuana has become legal in the nation’s capital. Starting today, adults over 21 can possess up to two ounces of pot in Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser vowed to press ahead with legalization, despite opposition from Republicans in Congress, who even threatened to jail her. Congress has oversight of laws in D.C., and Republicans tucked a measure into a spending bill to block new laws easing marijuana rules in the district. But Bowser says the restriction is invalid, because it passed a month after pot legalization was approved by 70 percent of D.C. voters.
Mayor Muriel Bowser: “We know that the residents of the District of Columbia spoke loud and clear last November 4th when they adopted Initiative 71 to legalize small amounts of marijuana in Washington, D.C. And we are, our government is prepared to implement and enforce Initiative 71 in the District of Columbia.”
Utah Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz told The Washington Post the mayor’s move was illegal, saying, “You can go to prison for this.” D.C. joins three states — Washington, Colorado and Alaska — where pot is now legal. Meanwhile, House lawmakers in Georgia have overwhelmingly passed a bill to legalize cannabis oil for patients with seizure disorders and other conditions. This comes as new research in the journal Scientific Reports has found marijuana is about 114 times less deadly than alcohol. The study found alcohol is by far the riskiest drug, followed by heroin, cocaine and tobacco.