Phil Mendelson, Chairman of the Council of the District of Columbia, issues the following statement regarding pending Congressional action that would prevent the District from implementing Initiative 71.  Initiative 71, adopted with just under 70% of the vote, would legalize the possession and use of marijuana by individuals in the District.  While the Congressional rider, attached to a must-pass appropriations bill to fund the entire federal government, would not repeal Initiative 71, it attempts to prohibit the District government from using any funds to implement the Initiative.

                “If Republicans really believed their rhetoric against big government, and against government intrusion in personal lives, then the Republicans in Congress would not be overturning a citizens initiative, or telling a city council that it may not regulate the sale of marijuana.

                “Moreover, if these Members of Congress truly care about individuals’ well-being, they would admit that governments should not be using their police force to treat drug use; that jails are the wrong place to handle substance abuse.

                “Something like 18 states have decriminalized marijuana, and four have legalized its sale.  The law is changing across the United States, and so has the public attitude toward marijuana, but Republicans in Congress are disregarding these trends and choosing instead to interfere.

                “This is especially troubling since this interference may leave the District’s criminal law unclear.  That’s problematic when we’re dealing with individual liberty and public safety.

                “It’s also troubling because the very Republicans who are eager to interfere in our local matters, seem equally eager to block District residents from having a voice – i.e., full representation – in Congress.

                “I call upon the leadership in Congress, on both sides of the aisle, to live up to the important ideal of self-determination and self-government, remove this unjust rider, and instead focus on giving District residents the same rights and responsibilities as the citizens of the 50 states.”