420 Policies and Laws

[truthwolf1]

The word is that you have a 57 percent majority of voters for this initiative. I really hope this will be the turning point and a set the race to get this passed in other states once they realize it was never a big deal in the first place. My view is all drugs should be legalized and sold at your local drugstore but we need to start somewhere.

[Crow]

New York Times: 'Lawmen Against the Law'

SEATTLE — Last November, the former chief federal prosecutor from Washington State took the stage before a hall full of cops and tried to persuade the people who enforce the drug laws to change them — specifically, to get aboard what will most likely turn out to the nation’s first successful campaign to legalize marijuana.

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Rick Steves brings pro-marijuana campaign to Vancouver

Travel guru Rick Steves spoke to full house at the Vancouver Community Library Friday night in favor of I-502, an initiative to legalize, regulate and tax marijuana.

The crowd was calmer than the one he met earlier in the day at the state's capitol building. According to the Capital Record, those opposing the initiative tried to drown out Steves and other speakers.

With more than 100 people in attendance at the library, Steves, who has donated $350,000 to the campaign, outlined why he's a proponent of the initiative.

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[Crow]

My view is all drugs should be legalized and sold at your local drugstore but we need to start somewhere.

I don't think we should legalise ALL drugs. But you are right, we do need to start somewhere when it comes to drug reform. Legalise cannabis, decriminalise all else (addicts need counseling, not jail).

[Crow]

The SnoValley Star: "Vote to approve marriage, marijuana"

Despite decades of enforcement and untold millions of dollars, marijuana prohibition does not work.

Initiative 502 could allow Washington to legalize small amounts of marijuana for recreational use among adults 21 and older, and outlines a plan for the state to legalize, regulate and tax marijuana.

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Sammamish Review: Editorial: Yes on I-502

Despite decades of enforcement and untold millions of dollars, marijuana prohibition does not work.

Initiative 502 possesses the potential to clear the air and allow Washington to legalize small amounts of marijuana for recreational use among adults 21 and older. The ballot measure outlines a sensible plan for the state to legalize, regulate and tax marijuana.

Critics claim the initiative could make marijuana more accessible to teenagers. In reality, marijuana, like alcohol, is widely available to minors. The onus is on parents to teach teenagers to make responsible choices.

Legalization could carry another benefit. The cash-strapped state desperately needs the estimated $1.9 billion in tax revenue from marijuana sales.

Passage could also squeeze Congress to consider overhauling antiquated marijuana laws at the federal level. The current law claims marijuana is as dangerous as heroin.

I-502 is backed by law enforcement and legal professionals. The fragmented opposition to the initiative seems more concerned about maintaining the status quo than engaging in a debate about real reform.

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The Seattle Times; Editorial: "Op-ed: Buying marijuana for my 70-something immigrant parents.

Guest columnist Sumi Hahn writes that buying marijuana for the first time in her life, for her elderly parents, turning her into a supporter for Initiative 502 to legalize marijuana on the Nov. 6 ballot.

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[Crow]

Prosecutor will adapt policies if marijuana initiative passes

SAN JUAN COUNTY PROSECUTOR

PRESS RELEASE: I will be closely following the results of the Initiative 502 concerning marijuana laws. I urge everyone in the county to study that measure and vote. Even if the measure conflicts with federal law, I will use the results to revise my policies regarding the prosecution of marijuana offenses.

Initiative 502 is a new approach to marijuana. Though it will be legal in some instances, it will be treated much like alcohol. It will remain a crime for youth to possess or use marijuana, it will remain a crime for adults to provide marijuana to youth, it will remain a crime to operate a motor vehicle under the influence of marijuana. It will be a civil infraction to consume marijuana in public or advertise marijuana. Only private recreational and medicinal use by adults is allowed.

Is our state at a “tipping point” in the attitudes regarding marijuana use and possession? I think so. I think people are frustrated by the collateral consequences of marijuana violations under federal law and I believe state law alone should fix the penalties for a state law violation.

http://www.sanjuanislander.com/islan...tiative-passes

[eyephantom]

Oregon's measure 80 looks likely to fail, unfortunately. The latest surveyusa poll has 36% supporting, with opposition at 43%. This is trending towards the opposition since the last poll. For it to pass it would likely need the support of 2/3 of undecided voters.

Conversely, 502 has a 55% support rate with opposition at 36%.

[Crow]

Oregon's measure 80 looks likely to fail, unfortunately. The latest surveyusa poll has 36% supporting, with opposition at 43%. This is trending towards the opposition since the last poll. For it to pass it would likely need the support of 2/3 of undecided voters.

Conversely, 502 has a 55% support rate with opposition at 36%.

Yeah, Oregon's measure hasn't been doing well in the numbers (we're more 'liberal' than Oregon). However, if Washington votes in I-502, then Oregon will likely follow in 2014. They usually follow us on liberal policy, and on occasion, we follow them (e.g. legalised euthanasia - "Oregon Death with Dignity Act" and "Washington Death with Dignity Act").

There's another state with cannabis legalisation on the ballot this November, and that's Colorado. Like our campaign in WA, theirs is well-built and well-backed. Also, their polling data is faring well.

Washington AND Colorado may very well be the forerunners of cannabis legalisation in the Union. Only time will tell.

[Crow]

The Oregonian: WA marijuana legalization initiative pitches campaign to Joe Six-pack

Rick Steves, who built a business empire on his travel guides and public television and radio shows, has a suburban-dad demeanor and an earnest enthusiasm that makes him a natural on PBS pledge drives.

That's why backers of Washington's Initiative 502 were thrilled to have him spend seven days touring the state to pitch voters on what might seem like an unlikely cause for his mainstream fans: passing their ballot measure to legalize marijuana.

"We're joined by doctors, law enforcement professionals and treatment professionals," Steves said at a packed forum in Vancouver. "It's not the kind of stoners you might expect... I-502 does not say marijuana is good. It says prohibition is an expensive, losing battle and we've got to do something different."

http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/i...legalizat.html

[Crow]

The Seattle Channel - City Inside/Out: Initiative 502

The long-time effort to legalize recreational marijuana hits our state ballots again this fall with I- 502. We hear from supporters and opponents.

Video

[Crow]

USA Today: States consider moving beyond medical marijuana

Now that medical marijuana is permitted in about one-third of the nation, advocates hope to move beyond therapeutic uses with ballot questions in three states that could legalize pot for recreational use.

Voters in Colorado, Washington state and Oregon face proposals to change state laws to permit possession and regulate the sale of marijuana — though the plant with psychoactive properties remains an illegal substance under federal law.

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[Crow]

Seattle Times Op: "Approve 502, legalize marijuana and cripple organized crime in BC"

Passing Initiative 502 and legalizing marijuana could be one of the best ways to reduce gang violence in British Columbia, according to guest columnists Evan Wood and David Bratzer.

ARE you aware that passing Initiative 502 is one of the best ways to reduce international gang violence?

Like the violent cartels gripping Mexico, British Columbia is affected by the organized-crime groups which control its huge marijuana industry. These gangs produce and export BC Bud to American consumers, including the 6.8 million residents of Washington state.

British Columbian gangs are competing for the revenue they generate from the marijuana-export industry. Economists have estimated the local market to be worth up to $7 billion annually. The fight for these riches explains why Seattle’s former top federal prosecutor, John McKay, has said, “British Columbia-based gangs smuggling high-grade pot are the dominant organized crime in the Northwest.”

In our roles as a public-health physician and a police officer, we have spent most of our careers at the forefront of anti-drug efforts in British Columbia. We have witnessed the bloody aftermath of shootings, stabbings and other violent confrontations that are common in British Columbia’s marijuana industry.

The level of violence that is now accepted as the new normal in British Columbia is staggering. In 2009 alone, there were no fewer than 276 incidents of drive-by shootings in the province. Local police described these shootings as often occurring “without regard for public safety.”

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[Crow]

Seattle Times: Look at marijuana laws in all 50 states, vote YES on I-502

This is an election in which Washington state could change the national dialogue on two issues: marijuana and same sex marriage.

I support Initiative 502 to legalize marijuana and Referendum 74 to legalize same-sex marriage. As a recent editorial board inductee, I'm behind the curve.

Our editorial board has supported marijuana legalization since February 2011, and our board's support for same-sex couples' rights began way back in 2000. Here are links to all of our editorials calling for an end to marijuana prohibition.

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[CoderGuy]

You missed some info:

http://sensiblewashington.org/blog/

[Crow]

Hmm, well, I don't see THEIR act on the ballot (despite numerous attempts).

Yeah, their strategy is a bit different. But the stuff they're writing is nothing more than scare tactics to sway undecided voters to oppose our initiative in the hopes that their initiative makes the ballot on the next election cycle.

I've seen this happen in the apothecaries (collectives, co-ops, whatever the hell you want to call it).. I've observed the owners attempting to convince patients to vote against I-502 because it will "make patients criminals when they get behind the wheel", and it will "put an end to collectives across the state", and it will "take away your right to cultivate your personal medicine".............. It's all BS motivated by greed.

[Crow]

Op-ed: Rick Steves on why he is co-sponsoring Initiative 502 to legalize marijuana

By Rick Steves, Special to The Times

MARIJUANA use is a serious, expensive and persistent challenge in our society. And it’s time for a new approach. That’s why I’m co-sponsoring Initiative 502 on the Nov. 6 ballot, which will legalize, tax and regulate marijuana, allowing adults 21 and over to buy up to one ounce from state-licensed stores.

Initiative 502 is not pro-pot. Rather, it’s anti-prohibition. We believe that, like the laws that criminalized alcohol back in the 1930s, our current laws against marijuana use are causing more harm to our society than the drug itself.

Marijuana is a drug. It’s not good for you. It can be addictive. But marijuana is here to stay. No amount of wishing will bring us a utopian drug-free society.

To address this reality, Initiative 502 is a smart law. It has been endorsed by the entire Seattle City Council; the mayors of Seattle, Tacoma and other cities; the NAACP; the Children’s Alliance; and an impressive list of well-respected attorneys, judges, law-enforcement officials and state legislators.

Marijuana is a huge underground business in our state — estimated to be our second-biggest crop, after apples. Untold billions of untaxed dollars are enriching gangs and empowering organized crime. We believe the safest approach is to bring cannabis out of the black market and regulate it. Taxes on the legal sale of marijuana would raise, according to government estimates, $500 million a year for our state.

Opponents worry: Will passing Initiative 502 lead to more people smoking pot? Surveying societies that have decriminalized marijuana, there appears to be no evidence that use goes up with decriminalization. For example, in the Netherlands — famous for its relaxed marijuana laws — per capita cannabis consumption is about on par with the U.S. Use among young Dutch people is actually lower than in the U.S.

Speaking of young people, we would do a better job protecting them if we brought marijuana under tight regulatory control, taxed it and invested more funding in prevention and education, as Initiative 502 proposes to do. That’s how we’ve cut youth tobacco use in half — not by arresting adult cigarette smokers.

Some worry about safety on the roads if marijuana is legalized. But of the 17 states with provisions for medical marijuana, there has been no evidence of an increase in cases of driving under the influence (DUI) involving cannabis. But just to be sure, Initiative 502 comes with very strict and specific DUI provisions.

Many say marijuana itself isn’t so bad, but it’s dangerous as a gateway to harder drugs such as heroin. We believe the only “gateway” thing about marijuana is its illegality. When it’s illegal, you have to buy it from criminals on the street who have a vested interest in getting you hooked on something more addictive and profitable.

In 2011, a decade after Portugal decriminalized all drugs, a study found that marijuana use had not gone up. (In fact, cannabis use among Portuguese young adults is about half the European average). Meanwhile, Portugal’s hard-drug-addicted population has been reduced by half. Most important, drug-related crime is down, saving lots of money and freeing up Portuguese law enforcement to focus on other priorities.

If Initiative 502 passes, won’t the federal government simply override the will of the people of Washington state? No one knows for sure how the feds will react. But our country was designed for states to be the incubators of change. After all, it was individual states that defied the federal government and made possible the end of alcohol prohibition in the 1930s. Since the 1990s, 17 states have legalized medicinal marijuana in direct opposition to federal law. And, when strict parameters are set and followed, the feds have generally stayed out.

There are so many reasons to end the prohibition on marijuana. Whether you want to improve the well-being of children, redirect money away from criminals and into our state’s coffers or protect civil liberties, it’s clearly time for a new approach. Rather than being “hard on drugs” or “soft on drugs,” we can finally be smart on drugs with Initiative 502. Please vote yes.

Rick Steves writes European travel guidebooks and hosts travel shows on public television and public radio. He is based in Edmonds.