By Bridget Bowman and JM Rieger

As of 12:01 a.m. Thursday, the District of Columbia will legalize marijuana, despite warnings from two congressional Republicans that doing so would break the law and could lead to possible prison time for D.C. officials. “Our government is prepared to implement and enforce Initiative 71 in the District of Columbia,” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said at a briefing Wednesday, where D.C. officials presented a united front against congressional opposition. Bowser was joined by District Attorney General Karl Racine, Metropolitan Police Department Chief Cathy Lanier, and eight members of the D.C. Council, including Chairman Phil Mendelson. “We would encourage the Congress to not be so concerned about overturning what 7 out of 10 voters said should be the law in the District of Columbia,” Bowser later added.