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March 5, 2014

D.C. Council Votes to Decriminalize Marijuana Possession 
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The Washington, D.C. City Council has given final approval of a measure
to decriminalize marijuana. The move would scrap criminal penalties for
pot possession in favor of a violation equivalent to a parking ticket.
City councilmember and bill sponsor Tommy Wells said the new law will
address racial disparities in drug arrests.

Tommy Wells: "In D.C., over 90 percent of those arrested for marijuana
are African-American. We know, with six universities, the black kids are
not the only ones smoking pot. And so, first of all, it gets at a social
justice issue. And then, once you do have a drug charge, you're not
going to get a job on a construction site. You're going to have trouble
with a commercial driver's license. A lot of the jobs that are
low-barrier entry jobs, you're disqualified if you have a drug charge."

Democratic Mayor Vincent Gray has pledged to sign the measure into law.
The District of Columbia would join 17 states that have also
decriminalized marijuana possession.

 

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