{"id":47987,"date":"2021-05-31T04:51:04","date_gmt":"2021-05-31T12:51:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2021\/05\/31\/congresswoman-blasts-biden-decision-to-block-marijuana-sales-in-d-c\/"},"modified":"2021-05-31T13:45:42","modified_gmt":"2021-05-31T21:45:42","slug":"congresswoman-blasts-biden-decision-to-block-marijuana-sales-in-d-c","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2021\/05\/31\/congresswoman-blasts-biden-decision-to-block-marijuana-sales-in-d-c\/","title":{"rendered":"Congresswoman Blasts Biden Decision To Block Marijuana Sales In D.C."},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

President Joe Biden\u2019s new budget proposal would maintain a ban on allowing Washington, D.C. to legalize marijuana sales<\/a>\u2014and the congresswoman representing the District told Marijuana Moment on Friday that it represents a frustrating \u201cinconsistency\u201d that she will work to correct on Capitol Hill.<\/p>\n

In a phone interview, Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said she\u2019s \u201cvery disappointed that the president\u2019s budget maintains the marijuana rider,\u201d referring to a longstanding, GOP-led appropriations policy preventing D.C. from using its tax dollars to implement a commercial cannabis program.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hard to reconcile with his strong support for D.C. statehood\u2014and, for that matter, with the rest of his budget,\u201d she said. \u201cFor example, he does not interfere with medical marijuana.\u201d<\/p>\n

Biden\u2019s budget plan, released on Friday, maintains language barring the Justice Department from using its funds to interfere in the implementation of state-level medical cannabis legalization. Advocates view that as a significant win considering that past administrations from both parties have moved to delete that rider, which Congress has nonetheless renewed annually since 2014.<\/p>\n

But when it comes to D.C., the president made a point to keep the ban on letting the jurisdiction legalize adult-use cannabis sales\u2014something that Norton, Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) and local legislators have fought against. The administration\u2019s decision is all the more perplexing when accounting for the fact that Biden favors D.C. statehood and has said repeatedly that states should be allowed to make their own decisions on legalizing marijuana for recreational use.<\/p>\n

Biden did recommend removing a separate provision to block D.C. from using its tax dollars to provide abortion services\u2014a decision that reinforces the notion that the administration took a targeted approach to the cannabis issue.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the inconsistency that I see,\u201d Norton said. \u201cHe\u2019s a strong supporter of statehood and homerule, so this was the time for him to\u2014especially since we got rid of the abortion rider, which is even more controversial\u2014this was the time to get rid of the marijuana rider as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

But now, with the president\u2019s budget submission being done for Fiscal Year 2022, the fight moves to Capitol Hill, and Norton said that she believes the Democratic-controlled House and Senate will delete the anti-cannabis provision.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m more hopeful about congressional action,\u201d the congresswoman said. \u201cI\u2019m going to be working very hard to make sure that that rider is not in the budget\u201d that lawmakers ultimately send back to Biden\u2019s desk.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith Democrats controlling the White House, House and Senate, we have the best opportunity in over a decade to enact a D.C. appropriations bill that does not contain any anti-home-rule riders,\u201d Norton added in a press release.<\/p>\n

\n

Per @EleanorNorton<\/a>, @JoeBiden<\/a>\u2019s budget proposal keeps the provision that prohibits D.C. from legalizing the sale of recreational marijuana. Given his support for D.C. statehood, it\u2019s surprising he\u2019d keep the budget rider. pic.twitter.com\/IAE6OnhtLB<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Martin Austermuhle (@maustermuhle) May 28, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

The congresswoman has been a strong advocate for cannabis policy reform. For example, she recently led a letter to the U.S. Botanic Garden<\/a> requesting that hemp be displayed at the institution since the crop was federally legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill.<\/p>\n

This month, she also sent a letter to the head of the\u00a0Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), imploring her to use \u201cexecutive discretion\u201d to not enforce policies that prohibit cannabis use<\/a> in federally assisted housing in states that have enacted legalization.<\/p>\n

The congresswoman\u2019s letter to HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge came two weeks after filing legislation that would legislatively accomplish the same objective<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Asked whether Biden should expect a letter from her on the D.C. budget issue, Norton said \u201cno, he doesn\u2019t need a letter.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s given me his budget. I need to work from the Congress\u2014that\u2019s what the Congress is for,\u201d she said. \u201cHe knew where we stood, and still, in defiance of all of his other policies, he left this in the budget. So no, that\u2019s why we have three branches of government.\u201d<\/p>\n

The mayor of D.C. said in April that local officials are prepared to move forward with implementing a legal system of recreational cannabis sales<\/a>\u00a0in the nation\u2019s capital just as soon as they can get over the final \u201churdle\u201d of congressional interference.<\/p>\n

\n

New Rhode Island Marijuana Legalization Bill Filed With Weeks Before End Of Session<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

Image element courtesy of Lorie Shaull<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

The post Congresswoman Blasts Biden Decision To Block Marijuana Sales In D.C.<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n


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\nRead More: Congresswoman Blasts Biden Decision To Block Marijuana Sales In D.C.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

President Joe Biden\u2019s new budget proposal would maintain a ban on allowing Washington, D.C. to legalize marijuana sales\u2014and the congresswoman representing the District told Marijuana Moment on Friday that it represents a frustrating \u201cinconsistency\u201d that she will work to correct on Capitol Hill. In a phone interview, Rep. Eleanor HolmesContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47987"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47987"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47987\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47988,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47987\/revisions\/47988"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47987"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47987"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47987"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}