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MyFoxDC: Marion Barry leads push to decriminalize marijuana possession in DC

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DC Breaking Local News Weather Sports FOX 5 WTTG

“There’s a push to decriminalize marijuana possession in the District.

Some council members are currently drafting a bill.

Ward-8 representative Marion Barry and Tommy Wells of Ward-6 are taking the lead.

It would eliminate criminal penalties for people caught with small amounts of pot or subject offenders to fines.

The legislation is expected to be introduced as early as this summer.

Council Chairman Phil Mendelson doesn’t think congress will approve any decriminalization of marijuana bill.”

Source: MyFoxDC

Washington Post: Some on D.C. Council plan bills to ease penalties for having marijuana

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“Some D.C. Council members are crafting legislation to lessen the penalties for marijuana possession, hoping to settle the matter before outside groups petition the issue onto the ballot.

Marion Barry (D-Ward 8) and Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) — who as chairman of the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee would shepherd the legislation — are formulating a proposal to eliminate criminal penalties for those caught with small amounts of cannabis or subject offenders to fines.

“Absolutely, it’s time we look at decriminalization of marijuana in the District of Columbia,” said Wells, who is running for mayor next year. “It’s time we enter the 21st century and stop criminalizing people . . . for what is not really a major crime.”

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Also see: DCist, WAMU, CBS

Freedom Beacon: Legalization Without Representation

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“Marijuana dispensaries and activists in Washington, D.C., are waiting to see how the Obama administration will react when the capital’s first medical marijuana clinics open this spring.

While the D.C. government has approved medical marijuana, it is still illegal under federal law. District-based distributors are hoping to avoid clashes with federal authorities even as some prepare to open shop blocks from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Department of Justice.”

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Washington Examiner: D.C. residents, candidates support marijuana decriminalization

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Three-quarters of registered voters in D.C. support decriminalizing marijuana possession and making it punishable by just a $100 citation, according to a survey of 1,621 voters conducted by Public Policy Polling.

All the leading candidates in the at-large D.C. Council race support decriminalizing marijuana, but one man has put pot above all else.

“I hate to quote Richard Nixon, but there is a silent majority that supports this,” said Paul Zukerberg, who is on the ballot for Tuesday’s special election. “We’re arresting thousands and thousands of young people every year for marijuana. It’s a bad policy and it’s terrible.”

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Georgetown Voice: New poll shows that D.C. wants legal weed

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“Ahead of Vox‘s favorite day to enjoy nature, D.C. gives us another reason to be glad Georgetown is located in such a liberal city.

A new poll released today by the Drug Policy Alliance and the Marijuana Policy Project found that 63 percent of residents supported enacting Colorado-esque legalization schemes here in the District. A further 78 percent of residents said that they would like to expand D.C.’s medical marijuana law so that doctors could prescribe cannabis to patients for any condition whatsoever. (The current law has quite restrictive limits on what conditions doctors may prescribe marijuana for.)

67 percent would like to see fewer police resources devoted to catching people who smoke weed. More than 4,000 people were arrested for marijuana possession in D.C. last year.”

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Washington Post: Marijuana policy groups kick off D.C. legalization campaign with poll

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National and local advocates for marijuana policy reform are using a new poll to kick off a major push for the legalization or decriminalization of cannabis in the District — one that could include the pursuit of a ballot initiative in 2014.

The poll was sponsored by the Marijuana Policy Project, the Drug Policy Alliance and financed by Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, a company that had backed legalization referendums in four states. Public Policy Polling conducted the automated telephone poll on April 10 and 11, reaching 1,621 registered voters.

It showed two-thirds of D.C. registered voters would at least partially support a legalization referendum similar to the ones passed last year in Colorado and Washington state. Three-quarters of poll respondents favored the decriminalization approach adopted by several states and municipalities, which would turn the possession of small amounts of marijuana from a criminal offense to something more akin to a traffic ticket.

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Also see DCist & The Huffington Post