Congress allows DC to implement 1998 medical marijuana law

House and Senate negotiations for the 2010 Appropriations bill have been completed. This is the huge federal budget bill and it just so happens that Washington DC is a federal district and its spending is controlled by Congress.

In 1998, DC passed a medical marijuana bill overwhelmingly, but Congressional drug warriors led by Rep. Bob Barr of Georgia prevented DC from spending any federal money to count the votes (that’s right, in our democracy’s capital, our leaders conspired to prevent citizens from counting votes in a legal election). When that was deemed unconstitutional, they spent the money to count the votes, showing that 69% of DC supported medical marijuana. So Rep. Barr created the “Barr Amendment” that prevented DC from spending any money to implement the medical marijuana program they had voted in.

Well, today’s 2010 Appropriations bill changes all that. In addition to removing bans on abortion, domestic partnerships, and needle exchange, Congress has given the go-ahead to begin implementing DC medical marijuana!

(US Senate) Removing Special Restrictions on the District of Columbia: Eliminates a prohibition on the use of local tax funds for abortion, thereby putting the District in the same position as the 50 states. Also allows the District to implement a referendum on use of marijuana for medical purposes as has been done in other states, allows use of Federal funds for needle exchange programs except in locations considered inappropriate by District authorities, and discontinues a ban on the use of funds in the bill for domestic partnership registration and benefits.

DC’s medical marijuana bill was written with the same sort of open language as was passed in California… will we be seeing marijuana dispensaries on K Street anytime soon?

blog.norml.org...

Wow, Bob Bar is an A-Hole.

That's gotta be against nafta.
Gonna be a lot of people in BC going out of work cause of this.
You know, it's amazing what these guys can get away with in a democracy to further their own personal agendas.
I wonder who Bob Bar takes his cut from....

great thread with a lot of very important information


a great contribution to a dying forum


i truly feel bob barr should be fully prosecuted for violating several rights and laws, we should also prosecute all involved, im sure it wont happen though

i also hate to say it but i bet by the next time i check this thread, there probably wont be any additional useful information just the same old names trolling the same old things


either way the trolls can say all they want, medical marijuana inevitably will be a national thing sooner then later no matter how it is treated on ats, especially now that it is available to be changed in dc

the day its legalized in dc truly marks the beginning of the end for medical marijuana prohibition

If this truely happens, and nobody stands in the way of the will of the people, then it will only be a short time before medical cannabis is used throughout the country, regulated properly, and benefiting those in need of alternative medicines. I for one feel that the government should have absolutly zero say in how you treat an illness that has infected your body, why are their pills and pharmacuticals the only legal method? I will be watching this very closely.

Just an FYI, Barr is all for medical marijuana now and actively lobbies in support of it.

Because of his previous history supporting the "war on drugs" his position change the past few years has made him a strong name to drag out and figure to bring to meetings.

A very valuable convert of sorts.

Like taking Brady out to range.