Pubdate: Thu, 11 Dec 2014 Source: News-Item, The (PA) Copyright: 2014 The News Item Contact: http://www.newsitem.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3556 DEAL UPENDS POT LEGALIZATION IN DC WASHINGTON (AP)- Elected officials and drug-policy advocates hoped to make the nation's capital the first place on the East Coast with legal pot. They wanted to use the District of Columbia as further encouragement for states to make their own marijuana laws, and they were optimistic that Congress wouldn't intervene, pointing to a Republican caucus that's far from unified against pot. Those hopes were crushed late Tuesday when Congress reached a $1.1 trillion spending deal that bars the District from legalizing marijuana. The move by Congress followed a familiar playbook when District leaders try to enact social policies that conservatives on Capitol Hill disagree with. Rather than trying to vote down the pot initiative-which Congress has the power to do-opponents placed language in an essential spending bill that would prevent the city from spending any money to enact it. "I kind of always expected the House to do this," said Adam Eidinger, chairman of the D.C. Cannabis Campaign, the group behind the initiative. "What I didn't expect was the Democrats to give up. ... It's totally unacceptable." Voters in the District approved the marijuana initiative in November by a nearly 2-to-1 margin. Alaska and Oregon also voted to legalize pot, and drug-policy advocates are planning to push legalization initiatives in California and several other states in 2016. The drug is already legal in Colorado and Washington state. The District's initiative would allow possession of up to 2 ounces of pot or up to three mature plants for personal use. It doesn't address the legal sale of marijuana, leaving it to the D.C. Council to pass a tax-and-regulation framework. If the spending bill is approved, all that would be on hold until at least next September, when it expires. But support for the bill among Democratic leaders was wavering Wednesday because of other provisions, raising the possibility that Congress could keep the government running on autopilot until Republicans seize full control of Congress next year. That scenario would likely delay action by Congress on the marijuana initiative rather than preclude it. Republican control could also open the door for Congress to dictate District policy on other issues, such as gun control. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom