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Md. Makes Moves on Marijuana Measures Annapolis A day after more than 100 people packed a Maryland State House committee room to share their views on legalizing marijuana, advocates for easing prohibitions on the drug said they feel momentum building in their favor. “The floodgates for change are
28%
open now,” said Sen. Jamie Raskin, who has sponsored a bill that would legalize marijuana. But Raskin, a Democrat, also cautioned that while the legislature might agree to reduce the criminal penalties, the path to legalization has a ways to go. Lawmakers have sponsored bills in the Maryland General Assembly that would rewrite nearly a century of laws and policies outlawing marijuana. Some want to address problems in the medical marijuana bill that was passed last year. Some seek to decriminalize mari-
The proportion of likely voters who
said they would vote for Mayor Vincent Gray in the mayoral primary in a poll released Tuesday by WRC-TV, WAMU-FM, The Washington Informer and Marist College. He’s followed by Council members Muriel Bowser with 20 percent, Jack Evans with 13 percent and Tommy Wells with 12 percent. Others lag far behind: Andy Shallal has 6 percent, Vincent Orange has 4 percent, and Reta Jo Lewis has 3 percent. (T WP)
that died in the House Judiciary Committee, which also became a burial ground for a House bill like Raskin’s. But marijuana advocates hope this year will be different, especially because Speaker Michael Busch, a fellow democrat, has set up a working group to find a way forward on marijuana legislation. Busch has said, however, that Maryland would be wise to see how legalization works in Colorado and Washington state before following their lead.
Police Chief Fooled by Pot Satire Some of the strongest pushback at Tuesday’s hearing came from law enforcement officers. Annapolis Police Chief Michael Pristoop went awry, however, in citing a report of 37 marijuana overdoses in Colorado after that state legalized the drug. After a quick Google search, a legislator told Pristoop that the story had been made up for laughs by The Daily Currant, an online comedy magazine. Pristoop later apologized. But he wasn’t the only high-ranking official to be fooled by that particular piece of satire; Sweden’s justice minister faced ridicule last month for posting the same story to Facebook. (T WP)
juana, while others, such as Raskin, would prefer full-blown legalization that would put marijuana in
Mayor Stands By Fire Chief, Deputy Mayor Washington D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray is standing by his fire chief and deputy mayor for public safety amid calls for their resignation. Gray said Wednesday that the department is moving in the right direction under Chief Kenneth Ellerbe and Deputy Mayor Paul Quander. D.C. Council member Tommy Wells, a mayoral candidate, called on Ellerbe and Quander to step down for what he says is an inadequate response to the death of a man who collapsed near a fire station. On Wednesday, Gray praised Quander’s report on that incident, which called for the firefighters and four call center employees to be disciplined. And he says Ellerbe is reforming the department. BEN NUCKOLS (AP)
a class with alcohol. The state Senate passed a decriminalization bill last year
FREDRICK KUNKLE (THE WASHINGTON POST)
In Brief FAIRFAX COUNTY
Teen Killed by VRE Train A Fairfax County teenager was fatally struck by a Virginia Railway Express commuter train Wednesday morning, shutting down part of the line that carries passengers from Prince William County to D.C. Fairfax County police said they are investigating circumstances surrounding the death of 15-year-old Jack Chen. It is the second time this year that a person has been struck by a train along VRE’s Manassas line. (THE WASHINGTON POST) FAIRFAX COUNTY
Man Given Three Months In Va. Road Rage Death Librado Cena, 58, was sentenced to three months in jail at a hearing in Fairfax County on Wednesday for delivering the single punch that led to William O’Brien’s improbable death in a road rage incident. Cena was convicted a day earlier of misdemeanor assault in the case. (TWP)
EVELYN HOCKSTEIN (FTWP)
Advocates hopeful that the state will ease pot prohibition
George Mason University aims to grow with 1,000 foreign students. FAIRFAX
George Mason Seeks More Foreign Students George Mason University aims to grow its international student enrollment by 50 percent in five years through a joint venture with an overseas recruiting firm, it announced Wednesday. The plan to add about 1,000 foreign students to a university that now has nearly 2,000 is likely to help Mason financially because out-of-state students pay far higher tuition than Virginians. (TWP)
Hearsay
“Holy. S---. TSA @ PHX asked for gf’s passport because her valid DC license deemed invalid b/c ‘DC not a state.’ ” — @CA PCIT YCHE W Y (A L A N CHE W NING) TWEETED HIS FRUSTRATION LAST WEEK WHEN A TSA AGENT QUESTIONED WHETHER HIS GIRLFRIEND COULD USE HER D.C. LICENSE AS IDENTIFICATION. ANOTHER AGENT CONFIRMED IT IS A VALID ID, BUT THE TWEET WENT VIRAL AS WASHINGTONIANS RECALLED MANY SIMILAR EXPERIENCES WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE CLUELESS ABOUT THE NATION’S CAPITAL.