DC mayor unveils bill to clear the way for full legalization of marijuana

It’s been over four years since D.C. residents approved Initiative 71, which allows adults to both possess marijuana and privately use it for recreational purposes.

For legalization advocates, its passage has been a partial victory, due in part to a subsequent congressional appropriations rider that kept the District from fully enacting the initiative. The result: no mechanisms for sale, regulation or taxation.

On Thursday, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser unveiled a plan that she and other proponents hope will clear a path toward full legalization in the District: the “Safe Cannabis Sales Act of 2019.”

It’s a measure, however, that is still dependent on cooperation from Congress, and at least one congressman is not happy about the proposal.