cannabisnews.com: Clinton Vetoes DC Bill Including A Ban On MMJ Clinton Vetoes DC Bill Including A Ban On MMJ Posted by FoM on October 01, 1999 at 11:07:47 PT NORML's Weekly Update News Source: NORML Sept. 30, 1999, Washington, DC: Citing the rights of DC residents to make "their own decisions about local matters," President Bill Clinton earlier this week vetoed the DC Appropriations Bill which included a congressional ban on medical marijuana. Last November, DC residents overwhelmingly approved an initiative legalizing medical marijuana. Congress initially blocked the counting of the ballots until a U.S. District Court judge ordered the vote be counted, released, and certified. Sixty-nine percent of DC voters approved the initiative. Under the terms of the law granting partial home rule to the District, Congress has 30 work days to override the initiative, or it becomes law. The Republican controlled Congress is expected to promptly approve an override. A bill to accomplish that has already been introduced by Rep. Bob Barr (R-GA), who sponsored the earlier legislation prohibiting the vote from being counted. The House Appropriations Subcommittee for the District of Columbia, chaired by anti-marijuana zealot Rep. Ernest Istook (R-OK), held hearings yesterday on the impact of the initiative on law enforcement. As expected, the Republicans stacked the hearing with several law enforcement officials who oppose medical marijuana use, while the Democrats were only permitted to invite one witness. Rep. James Moran (D-VA), ranking Democrat on the subcommittee, invited Keith B. Vines, Esq., Assistant District Attorney for the city and county of San Francisco. Vines has lived both sides of the debate, as he not only prosecutes drug cases, but suffers from AIDS wasting syndrome and has used marijuana for medical reasons. Vines testified, "The voters in the District recognize what every nationwide poll has shown -- that Americans recognize that seriously ill persons deserve every medicine, including the politically unpopular as well as the dangerous ones, if those medications will improve the quality of their lives." "Please understand that people like me need marijuana to stay alive and to get healthy, not to get high," Vines said. "Don't let me and people like me be collateral damage in the war on drugs." For more information, please contact: Keith Stroup, NORML Executive Director at (202) 483-5500 and Wayne Turner, Act Up DC, the proponents of the DC medical marijuana initiative, at (202) 547-9404.ACT UP Washington DChttp://www.actupdc.org/http://www.norml.org/news/index.shtml#story1 D.C. Budget Caught in Hill Standoff - 9/29/99http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread3076.shtmlPresident Vetoes D.C. Budget Bill - 9/28/99http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread3057.shtml Cannabis News NORML Articles:http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/list/NORML.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #2 posted by Doc-Hawk on October 02, 1999 at 21:16:30 PT: Veto! I Agree....but before the vote was counted and it really hit the fan, he had promised a veto over needle exchange. I'm glad the brouhaha over medical marijuana did not change his mind. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Charles Davis on October 01, 1999 at 18:44:05 PT: OH MY GOD! As a libertarian, I can't remember a time that I agreed with a decision by Bill Clinton. I think that this is the first time that I EVER really agreed with Bill Clinton! He doesn't even support medical marijuana, yet he decided that Washington D.C. should be able to choose for itself. While this may have just been his usual deal (go by what the polls tell him), it's still good for the country. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: