D.C. Medical Marijuana Bill Now Law as Norton Successfully Defends Against Attempts to Overturn It
D.C. Medical Marijuana Bill Now Law as Norton Successfully Defends Against Attempts to Overturn It
July 26, 2010
WASHINGTON, DC -- Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today scored another victory for home rule as the D.C. City Council's Legalization of Marijuana for Medical Treatment Amendment Act of 2010 becomes law at the close of congressional business today. In April, the D.C. City Council unanimously passed a tightly structured medical marijuana bill that permits patients with such illnesses as cancer, glaucoma, or HIV to obtain four ounces of marijuana each month from official dispensaries throughout the city. "We have faced repeated attempts to re-impose the prohibition on medical marijuana in D.C. throughout the layover period," said Norton. "Yet, it is D.C.'s business alone to decide how to help patients who live in our city and suffer from chronic pain and incurable illnesses. The Council is to be commended for, not prohibited from, passing a model piece of legislation that allows patients to use controlled amounts of marijuana, for specific medical purposes and only through the written recommendation of a physician, to help improve their quality of life." Norton believes that even though she is a District resident, she as a Member, cannot overturn a D.C. law even if she were to disagree with it. She believes that abiding by this rule herself helps other Members to understand that they, who have no relationship to the District, should behave similarly.
All bills passed by the city council are subject to a 30 or 60 legislative days review period in which Congress has the authority to disapprove of the bill. However, once that time elapses without action from Congress, the bill becomes D.C. law.