Pubdate: Fri, 04 Jul 2014
Source: Baltimore Sun (MD)
Copyright: 2014 The Baltimore Sun Company
Contact:  http://www.baltimoresun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/37
Author: John Fritze
Page: 2

HARRIS WRANGLES WITH D.C. OVER MARIJUANA

Some Call for Eastern Shore Boycott in Protest of Effort to Block 
Decriminalization

WASHINGTON - A proposal by a Maryland congressman to block the 
decriminalization of marijuana in the District of Columbia has 
devolved into a war of words - with some D.C. advocates calling on 
Washingtonians to boycott the beaches of the Eastern Shore this 
summer in protest.

Rep. Andy Harris, Maryland's only Republican in Congress, set off the 
controversy last week by attaching an amendment to a federal funding 
bill that would stop the district from enforcing the 
decriminalization law signed by Mayor Vincent Gray in March.

City leaders reacted angrily at what they view as the latest attempt 
by Congress to overrule their local authority.

"I'm deeply disappointed that the will of District voters is once 
again under assault by a member of Congress out to score political 
points," Gray said in a statement Thursday. "I urge every American 
who cares about fairness and democracy to stand up to this hypocrisy 
and bullying."

Gray, a Democrat, stopped short of calling for a boycott of Ocean 
City and other beaches in Harris' district. But some, including the 
advocacy group DC Vote, have issued such a call. Harris, meanwhile, 
has stoked the debate. "People aren't going to stop coming [to the 
Shore] from the District - people actually want to get away from some 
of the problems in D.C. that the mayor has not been able to solve," 
Harris told a Washington television station Thursday. "We don't have 
the crime problem that D.C. has."

Despite the kerfuffle, Congress is unlikely to take up the underlying 
appropriations bill - and if it did, the provision would not likely 
survive in the Democratic controlled Senate. But the effort has 
brought significant attention to Harris at a time when he is running 
to lead the Republican Study Committee, a caucus of conservative 
House members that wields considerable influence in the chamber.

The District law is expected to take effect in mid-July. Harris' 
effort comes months after Maryland made possession of 10 grams or 
less of marijuana a civil offense.

Harris doesn't appear concerned about a boycott of the beaches.

"I'm on the road heading to the Shore from D.C. and traffic is really 
heavy," the congressman tweeted Thursday night. "Too many D.C. plates."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom