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Celebration quickly gave way to uncertainty on Wednesday for supporters of a voter-approved initiative to legalize marijuana in the District, with the reality sinking in that when the measure reaches Capitol Hill for review, the party least likely to support it will be in charge.

One conservative House Republican from neighboring Maryland immediately vowed to use all of his power to upend Initiative 71, which would allow D.C. residents and visitors to have up to 2 ounces of marijuana for personal use and would allow home cultivation of up to three plants.

But advocates for the initiative took refuge in the Election Day comments of Sen. Rand Paul (R), who suggested outside a Kentucky polling precinct that he considers the matter one for D.C. voters, who ended up backing it by an overwhelming margin of more than 2 to 1: I havent really taken a stand on [Initiative 71], but Im against the federal government telling them they cant, Paul told reporters.

And on Wednesday, another potential pitfall emerged when Muriel E. Bowser suggested in her first press conference as D.C. mayor-elect that she would not want Initiative 71 to proceed to congressional review without accompanying legislation to establish a system for selling and taxing the plant like in Colorado and Washington state.

The conflicting signs hinted at how uncertain implementation of the citys marijuana initiative remains, given the Districts layer of federal oversight. The situation in the District stands in stark contrast to the two states where sales are now legal, and in Oregon and Alaska, where initiatives that passed Tuesday spell out how sales will begin, perhaps as soon as early 2016.

D.C. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier said she respects the clear intent of District voters in their support of Initiative 71. However, we need to recognize that the initiative cannot be immediately implemented, she said in a prepared statement.

I think everyone realizes that the Council will need to enact legislation to provide clarity to the public and law enforcement officers, Lanier said. If the initiative is held up in Congress, attorneys for the District will need to provide additional guidance.

In a national teleconference with reporters on Wednesday, advocates for marijuana legalization sought to play down concerns that Congress would spend the energy to overturn the Districts measure, especially right after Republicans gain control of Congress.

In recent years, nearly 50 House Republicans also have sided with Democrats to give states more protections to carry on medical marijuana programs.

Advocates acknowledged that the D.C. measure could hasten the arrival of a national debate over marijuana legalization before a critical mass of states have tilted in favor. The drug has gained greater acceptance nationwide, and the country was closely divided at 49 percent in favor and 48 percent opposed earlier this year, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll.

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Legalization limbo in D.C.: Republican congress will have ...