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The D.C. Council Prepares For Medical Marijuana

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By Patrick Madden

Eleven years ago District voters approved an initiative legalizing medical marijuana. Congress blocked the program each year - by attaching a series of riders to the city's spending bill. Those riders have been removed.

If President Obama signs the spending bill into law -- as expected -- the D.C. Council will send the eleven-year-old initiative to Capitol Hill for a 30-day congressional review.

If it survives congress, the initiative becomes law... and then the tough work really begins.

D.C Councilman Phil Mendelson says it could take months for the city to figure out how to put the plan into action. He says says the council will work with the mayor's office to craft guidelines for the program. Thirteen states have legalized medical marijuana.

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