Pubdate: Wed, 05 Mar 2014 Source: New York Times (NY) Copyright: 2014 The New York Times Company Website: http://www.nytimes.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/298 Author: Emmarie Huetteman EFFORT TO DECRIMINALIZE SMALL AMOUNTS OF MARIJUANA GAINS IN DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA WASHINGTON - District of Columbia lawmakers voted on Tuesday to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana, in what advocates of more lenient marijuana laws hope is another step toward legalizing the drug outright. The measure, which would make possessing up to an ounce of marijuana a civil infraction punishable with a fine as low as $25 and seizure of the drug, passed in a 10-to-1 vote by the City Council, with one lawmaker voting "present" and another, who helped introduce the bill, absent. While medical marijuana is legal in the district, the penalty for possession of recreational marijuana is up to six months in jail and up to a $1,000 fine. Citing studies showing that existing laws disproportionately punish black residents of the district, Tommy Wells, a Democratic councilman who is running for mayor, introduced the measure last summer. The proposal attracted broad support, with 10 of the 13 members of the council signing on as co-sponsors. "Our action today does not repeal all negative impacts caused by criminalization of marijuana, but it moves us in the right direction," Mr. Wells said on Tuesday. Before passing the bill, lawmakers made it clear that they did not intend to condone the use of marijuana, but hoped to be able to better regulate it and reduce harsh penalties. "This is not supposed to be a signal that smoking marijuana is a good thing," said Mary M. Cheh, a Democratic councilwoman. Yvette Alexander, also a Democratic councilwoman, opposed the bill, saying there were too many details that were not addressed by an incremental approach, including conflicts with federal law. "It does not make sense to me to have the possession of marijuana a civil infraction when the sale and consumption are still illegal," she said. The measure will now go to Mayor Vincent C. Gray, a Democrat, who has said he will sign it. The mayor's office will schedule the signing once it receives the bill, a spokesman, Pedro Ribeiro, said Tuesday. Congress would then have 30 days to review the law before it is enacted. Though supporters say they have received no indication that Congress will stand in the way of the measure, it has intervened in the district's marijuana policies before. After residents voted overwhelmingly to legalize medical marijuana in 1998, Congress blocked funding for the program for more than a decade. Grant Smith, a policy manager with the Drug Policy Alliance in Washington, said the vote reflected growing support across the country for decriminalizing marijuana. "It's a critical first step," he said before the vote on Tuesday. "We have a long way to go." The D.C. Board of Elections is currently reviewing a ballot initiative that would allow adults to possess up to two ounces of marijuana and cultivate no more than three plants for personal use. The proposal would not permit sales of the drug. If the board deems it suitable, supporters would then need to collect more than 23,000 signatures by July to get it on the ballot this year. - --- MAP posted-by: Matt