Most of you already know about this, so we’ll be brief: earlier today HB 1177 (the so-called “decrim” bill) and HB 2401 (the legalization and taxation bill) died in the Washington State Legislature’s Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Committee. Details are over at the Seattle Times.
Of interest, State Rep. Steve Kirby (D-Tacoma), a committee member, said:
“‘Don’t count me all the way out, but count me out today because this is not the one [bill],’ said Kirby.
“But before voting ‘no,’ Kirby said that an issue as monumental as changing the regulation of marijuana should be put to the public for a vote. Next November he might get his wish.
“An initiative filed a week ago Monday by the activist group Sensible Washington would legalize all adult marijuana possession, manufacturing and sales under state law.”
Always nice to rate a mention in the SeaTimes (full disclosure: initiative co-author Philip Dawdy has written for the Times in the past). One attorney with the Cannabis Defense Coalition who was at the committee vote told the paper:
“‘Now it is up to the people to lead,’ [Pam] Haley said.”
The people can lead on marijuana legal reform by volunteering to help gather signatures once our humble initiative is approved by the Secretary of State and state Attorney General for signature gathering around March 1. Email us at sensiblewashington@gmail.com. The people can lead as well by supporting Sensible Washington’s efforts to get the initiative on the ballot by making a contribution. After all, we’re going to need to print out well over 10,000 petition forms and printing is not free.
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i have a feeling the biggest opponents will be canadian and mexican drug cartels… they will be pumping in tons of their own money to stop this from passing.
i have no doubt this will be available on the nov ballot, but we’ll start seeing a whole bunch of negative campaign ads on tv with tiny disclaimers saying “this ad was sponsored by your local drug dealer”
For the folks talking about the recent supreme court ruling regarding corporations and allowing election donations to come from the general fund. It will have little difference in the state of Washington as there are no restrictions on campaign donations from corporations. Which brings up an interesting point. States legislation has been contrary to Federal legislation on many fronts since the revolution, why then are they so quick to hide behind the argument of “the feds say its illegal and we can’t fight the feds” as a reason against legalization?
Kind of feels like a cop out.
The nice thing about the Washington initiative process is that it is difficult to circumvent by the legislature. Regardless of what local groups try to do after this has passed, the best thing for us to do is to educate our friends and relatives.
Host a party where you watch “Grass” or “The Union” with some friends and/or family members. Once more people understand how much money is wasted annually fighting this and how much potential economic stimulation legalization can have, the more support it will have at the ballot.
This is a natural product which has been a part of human culture for thousands of years. It’s time to cure modern society of the madness that is prohibition.
Fight the rhetoric, educate the masses, stay positive, and stick to the facts.
Let the other side dirty itself with mudslinging.
Let them run corporate ads, they will only repeat the lies that have been exposed, and preach only to the particular choir. Once it makes it to the ballot, it will pass. And I know many who will vote for it and sign the initiative petitions.
If it becomes legal I hope the growers reduce the strength of it. Read this article!
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10116853
Thanks you guys but, IANAL… I am not a lawyer. However, being curious, can the electronic signature be used for the initiative? We’re gonna need to pull all strings, favors and debts and think out of the bong to get this one done in time. The people are ready to sign, we just gotta get them the line.
yeah whats all going down with these signatures because im sure we can all help unless we all get too stoned like in that one simpsons episode!
So if 500 people can each collect 500 signatures, or 1000 people can collect 250 etc. Then what happens? When are the signatures due by?
I have never understood how a state with such cool people could have such crappy politicians.Everyone must get registered to vote. As Ben Harper would say “when the people lead the leaders they will have to follow and all of their lies and allabies they will have to swallow.”
Why should we be surprised by this vote! The SPINELESS legislature in WA state never votes for bills that will be good for the citizens. I have been a resident here for more than 20 years and really can’t remember of a year that the hard decisions weren’t left to the initiative process, let’s get the petition out on the street and back for the Nov election.
Listen up, folks. While the majority opinion (today) is that legalization makes sense, today’s Supreme Court ruling in favor of corporations and their exercise of “free speech” through political ads, this ballot initiative will still be an uphill battle.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/22/us/politics/22scotus.html
Think for a moment of how much money the alcohol industry will be able to contribute to ads or commercials that will scare the population of Washington about the “dangers” of cannabis. Tobacco companies could weigh in as well with anti-cannabis-legalization campaigns.
We will need to be proactive, speaking with family, friends, neighbors, possibly going door to door to combat the ads, the ads we know will be there.
We must not be complacent.
Even if the initiative passes, the police are going to try and find a way to continue arresting people. It’s simply job security for them, and a nice safe cushion of mellow, non-violent people to bust. I mean, who wants to go around busting whacked out meth addicts that are capable of just about anything when instead, you can arrest some poor stoned guy that isn’t going to put up a struggle and will quite possibly giggle as you cuff him? Hologram5 had an excellent point about the committee members forgetting whom they serve. That is something that the police need to remember as well. They are supposed to enforce the laws WE enact… not create their own little ideological agendas about how things SHOULD be. But back to the topic…
I understand that the Bill is supposed to be “Crisp and Clean”, but i still believe that specific language must be written into this bill that highlights this issue and reigns in law enforcement on the subject.
Personally what I’d like to see this petition is to have it state something along the lines of “decriminalize marijuana and hemp for sale, production,industry and personal use.”
I think it should be privatized with regulations but let the state tax as they see fit.
These people in their little committee have forgotten that they serve the people, NOT the other way around. They are put to serve the public interest, and people are interested in legalization of the “weed” that grows wild in every state in the union.
You were right it always amazes me how cowardly and self serving the people we elect turn out to be. We need to get this done. I think we it will turn out that it will take more then petitions we will have to over come the usual scare advertising there must be big power behind the opposition.
http://stillahippiesnewsblog.wordpress.com/