DC Lawmakers Vote to Ban Private Pot Clubs

D.C. lawmakers voted Tuesday to ban private clubs where people could smoke marijuana.

The 7-6 vote by the D.C. Council comes two months after the council left the door open for pot clubs by creating a task force to study the issue.

Possession of as much as 2 ounces of pot for personal use is legal in the nation's capital, but smoking in public remains illegal. Pot advocates argued that private clubs would provide a safe place for people to smoke outside the home.

But Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser has maintained that unregulated pot clubs would be bad for the city and create problems for police. Congress has barred D.C. from any further liberalization of its pot laws, including taxation or regulation of the drug.

The D.C. Council previously voted to create a task force to study the feasibility of marijuana clubs.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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