D.C. would remain barred from legalizing marijuana sales under federal budget

Washington, D.C. would remain barred from legalizing the sale of marijuana under a congressional spending plan released Wednesday.

Why it matters: The news is a blow to city leaders who hoped a Democratic majority on Capitol Hill would remove a federal budget rule that has prevented the city from legalizing the sale of recreational cannabis since 2015.

Flashback: District voters approved a ballot measure to legalize marijuana use in late 2014, but local leaders have been unable to set up a tax and sale industry due to a federal budget rider introduced by Republican Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland.

Efforts to remove the rider have so far failed. The District has limited home rule which allows for Congress to interfere in its local laws.

https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2022/03/09/dc-legalized-marijuana-sales-fed-budget