DC Legalization Update

Aaron Davis over at the Washington Post provided an update on the marijuana legislation effort in Washington DC, one of the first east coast communities looked to put marijuana legalization on the 2014 ballot.  

"The District should set aside the warnings of its attorney general and let voters decide whether they want to legalize marijuana possession in the nation’s capital, advocates for the measure argued Tuesday before the D.C. Board of Elections.

The band of marijuana advocates is seeking to make the District one of the first East Coast cities to legalize marijuana possession. If it successfully gets the measure on the November ballot, legalization has a strong chance of being approved, according to a recent Washington Post poll, and it could hasten the arrival in Washington of a debate that has simmered mostly in Western states." h/t Washington Post

There is arguably no better place in the United States to make clear the discrepancies between federal law and local law on the subject, and a progressive move in Washington DC may put legalization advocates one step closer to their goals on a federal level (perhaps the first step: delisting marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug under the Controlled Substances Act, among other things).

Oregon Moves Forward with Legalization Bills

Meanwhile, in Oregon, "a bill that would ask Oregon voters if they want to legalize marijuana while leaving the regulations up to the Legislature passed its first committee last Thursday.

Senate Bill 1556 passed the Senate Judiciary Committee on a 3-2 vote, with all Democrats supporting it and all Republicans opposing, reports Jeff Mapes at The Oregonian. The bill now goes to the Senate Rules Committee." h/t Salem News

This isn't especially surprising given the progressive bent of Oregon residents and voters. Still, in the event that Oregon legislators do pass one of the two competing legalization bills, Oregon would be only the 3rd state, after Colorado and Washington, to legalize marijuana.

Onto the 2 bills in question:

"Initiative 21 would amend the Oregon Constitution, ending criminal penalties for cannabis and permitting adult recreational marijuana use, possession and cultivation. Initiative 22, the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act 2014, creates a commission to regulate the cultivation, processing, and sale of marijuana, generating hundreds of millions of dollars for the Oregon General Fund, helping to pay for schools, roads, and social services." h/t Salem News

Between the two bills, Initiative 22 seems like the better choice in light of the federal government's seeming interest in a bona fide development plan rather than outright decriminalization. Having said that, as well-stated by David Sarasohn in a column over at the Oregonian, the federal government's marijuana policies and public statements on legalization (or even an updated drug classification) evidence a myriad of conflicting ideas.