Washington DC Hearing on Taxing, Legalization of Marijuana Downgraded to 'Roundtable Discussion'

A D.C. Council held a "roundtable discussion" on Monday to consider passing a bill that would legalize the use and sale of marijuana in the nation's capital.

Initially, the council was supposed to hold a hearing on taxing and regulating marijuana, but the meeting was downgraded to a discussion after District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine warned that the Council is legally barred from considering the bill, reports The Associated Press. According to Racine, a spending bill passed in December blocks the District from using federal funds to liberalize marijuana laws.

In a letter sent to the council late Friday, Racine stated that holding a hearing would violate a spending prohibition placed on the city by Congress to prevent the government from establishing a regulatory scheme for sales of weed. Racine added that city lawmakers would be liable to thousands of dollars in fines and even jail time if they decided to hold the hearing.

"The issue here is not whether Initiative 71, which was, in our view, enacted before the 2015 Appropriations Act became effective, but, rather, whether the hearing on this bill -- which was not enacted by the time the rider took effect -- would violate the rider. We believe it would," wrote Racine, according to the Washington Post. "I reluctantly conclude that it would be unlawful to do so notwithstanding my full support of the sentiments behind your desire to conduct this hearing."

As a result, Monday's hearing on the tax-and-regulate bill, named Initiative 71, was changed to a "roundtable discussion" of the issues it presents.

The bill, which was approved by District voters in a referendum last November, would legalize the possession of up to two ounces of the pot and home cultivation of up to three plants per person.

Although 65 percent of D.C. residents voted in favor of the bill, Congress in December moved to block the District from allowing legal sales, reports Reuters. The fate of the ballot measure has been in limbo ever since.

D.C. lawmakers argue that it was "self-enacting" and that they will begin enforcing it soon. However, congressional Republicans say that Initiative 71 has been blocked.