Politics, as the saying goes, is the art of compromise. And in Washington DC, that means the marijuana industry is getting the short end of the stick.
Even though President Barack Obama supports the right of DC voters to approve adult use and consumption of cannabis, as they overwhelmingly voted for last month, the president intends to sign a larger spending bill that includes a provision to block implementation of marijuana legalization in the capital.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest told ABC News, “We do not believe that Congress should spend a lot of time interfering with the ability of the citizens of the District of Columbia to make decisions related to how they should govern their community.”
But, he added, the president plans to sign the bill that the House approved Thursday night. If he doesn’t, the federal government will shut down again as it did a year ago during a political stalemate between Democrats and the GOP.
The bill dashes hopes that a recreational marijuana industry will crop up in the nation’s capital anytime soon.
