cannabisnews.com: D.C. Voters Supported Medical Use of Marijuana





D.C. Voters Supported Medical Use of Marijuana
Posted by FoM on September 20, 1999 at 11:17:13 PT
By Bill Miller, Washington Post Staff Writer
Source: Washington Post
District voters overwhelmingly approved a measure to legalize the use of marijuana for medical reasons, officials said this morning. The election was held in November, but a court fight with Congress had kept the tallies a secret.
A federal judge in Washington ordered the results made public and certified in a ruling Friday, saying that a congressional amendment designed to thwart the law could not stand in the way of letting the elections process unfold.Elections officials revealed the outcome this morning, carrying out a pledge by Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D) to get the results out quickly. There were 75,536 votes for the initiative and 34,621 against, officials said, meaning 69 percent of those D.C. residents who voted want to change the current drug law.The District now joins seven states that have passed similar initiatives. However, the vote total might turn out to be more symbolic than anything else. Once D.C. officials certify the result, Congress has 30 days to either approve or reject it. Congress has the final say on D.C. legislation.In addition, Congress attached an amendment to the D.C. appropriations bill that would prevent the District from enacting any law that would legalize or reduce the penalties for possessing marijuana and other drugs. The White House is threatening to veto the bill, and today's vote could figure in that fight.Initiative 59 would legalize the possession, use, cultivation and distribution of marijuana if recommended by a physician for serious illnesses. Under current D.C. law, possession of marijuana is a misdemeanor.Friday's ruling by U.S. District Judge Richard W. Roberts ordered that the results be released as part of a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of the initiative's supporters. The District government joined forces with the ACLU, arguing that Congress had no right to prevent District voters from being heard on the issue.Wayne Turner, a leader of the initiative campaign, was at the elections board this morning and watched as a computer put out the results.Act Up Washington D.C.http://www.actupdc.org/"Let's savor the moment. It's been a long time coming," Turner said. "But our battle isn't done yet. There's still a lot of work to do."Rep. Robert L. Barr Jr. (R-Ga.), who sponsored the amendment to the appropriations bill, issued a statement in the wake of the court decision saying the release of the results "is largely irrelevant to anyone other than the drug legalization activists" because Congress will never approve the law. By Bill MillerWashington Post Staff WriterMonday, September 20, 1999; 1:00 p.m. EDT Washington D.C. NBChttp://www.msnbc.com/local/WRC/342071.aspFrom the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics - 9/20/99http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread2953.shtml© 1999 The Washington Post Company 
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on September 20, 1999 at 15:01:22 PT:
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Washington, D.C., Votes For Medical Marijuana Use4.28 p.m. ET (2033 GMT) September 20, 1999Fox Newshttp://www.foxnews.com/WASHINGTON — Residents of the nation's capital overwhelmingly voted to legalize marijuana use for medical purposes according to year-old ballot results released for the first time Monday after months of controversy. But at least one member of Congress vowed to work against legalization. Sixty-nine percent of those voting on Initiative 59 in November 1998 voted yes, according to referendum results issued by the city's Board of Elections and Ethics Friday upon orders by U.S. District Court Judge Richard Roberts. The results were never tallied or released until now because Congress forbid the city from spending funds to do the work. Unlike all other U.S. cities, ultimate control of the District of Columbia's fiscal and political authority resides in Congress instead of with local authorities. Congress has 30 working days to block the initiative from taking effect. But Congress faces a conundrum. While the fiscal 2000 spending bill it passed recently for the District firmly barred implementation of any medical marijuana initiative, that bill probably will be vetoed by President Clinton who opposes its spending curbs on needle-exchange programs. Rep. Bob Barr, the Georgia Republican who authored the pending marijuana-funding curb, said Monday he will do whatever it takes to make sure his ban sticks. He did not elaborate in a written statement. "Marijuana remains illegal under federal law and it would send a terrible message to America's young people to allow those laws to be openly flouted in the same city where they were passed,'' Barr said. Initiative backers celebrated the vote totals announced Monday. "This is great news,'' said Chuck Thomas of the Marijuana Policy Project, which lobbies U.S. and state lawmakers to legalize medical marijuana prescribed by a doctor for cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, glaucoma and other illnesses that cause pain or "spastic'' reactions. Marijuana Policy Project:http://www.mpp.org/Not only was the 69 percent margin the highest vote total ever on a medical marijuana ballot, it also showed support was not just a West Coast phenomenon, he said. Similar initiatives were approved in Alaska, Oregon, Washington, California, Nevada and Arizona. "If the law takes effect it will be right here in Congress' backyard,'' Thomas said. Arthur Spitzer, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of the National Capital Area, called Friday's 24-page ruling in Turner v. D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics a "tremendous victory for the First Amendment rights of D.C. voters.'' comments newsdigital.com© 1999, News America Digital Publishing, Inc 
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