The Washington, D.C., City Council has voted to decriminalize marijuana, meaning residents who possess less than one ounce of pot would no longer be charged with a crime.
Smoking marijuana in public, however, would still be illegal. The law would not apply on federal property such as the National Mall.
D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray plans to sign the measure.
Across the country, the Obama administration has taken a hands-off approach in states where voters have legalized pot.
But on Capitol Hill Tuesday, a top U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration official urged Congress and others not to abandon scientific concerns over the drug.
"As a former educator, as a law enforcement official for all these years, I have seen devastation that marijuana has caused not only on individuals, on families and communities," DEA Deputy Administrator Thomas Harrigan told lawmakers.
"There are no sound scientific, economic, or social reasons to change our nations marijuana policy," Harrigan testified.
So far, 17 states have decriminalized pot possession.
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