Skip to comments.
Activists file initiative to legalize pot in Washington (Washington State)
The Seattle Times ^
| January 11, 2010
| Gene Johnson
Posted on 01/11/2010 8:17:53 PM PST by Stoat
(edit)
Five activists filed a ballot initiative Monday that would legalize all adult marijuana possession, manufacturing and sales under Washington state law one of the most sweeping efforts at changing marijuana laws around the country this year.
Its sponsors include two Seattle lawyers and the director of Seattle's annual Hempfest. They call themselves Sensible Washington, and say that in a time of dire budget woes, the state government should stop spending money on police, court and jail costs for people who use or produce marijuana.
(edit)
Volunteers are lining up to collect the more than 241,000 signatures required to place the initiative on the November ballot, Hiatt said.
The campaign has competition in Washington. One bill introduced here would legalize and regulate marijuana, while another would decriminalize possession of small amounts of pot, making it punishable by a fine rather than jail time.
Legalization bills have also been introduced in California, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Nevada, and a group campaigning to place a marijuana-legalization measure before California voters said last month that it has enough signatures to qualify for this year's ballot.
(edit)
(Excerpt) Read more at seattletimes.nwsource.com ...
TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Washington
KEYWORDS: marijuana; pot; potheads; washington; washingtonstate
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-20, 21 next last
My apologies for the severe editing of this article...this was done in order to remain in compliance with Free Republic rules pertaining to the posting of articles from this source. Please click on the main article link to read the full story.
1
posted on
01/11/2010 8:17:55 PM PST
by
Stoat
To: Stoat
If it will fend off pressure for a state income tax, I can live with it.
2
posted on
01/11/2010 8:20:36 PM PST
by
Publius
To: matt1234; Bosun; washingtoncon; Pavegunner72; cherry; aw93472; WeatherGuy; CBF; x_plus_one; ...
Say WA? Evergreen State ping
Quick link:
WA State Board
FReepmail sionnsar if you want on or off this ping list.
Ping sionnsar if you see a Washington state related thread.
3
posted on
01/11/2010 8:20:36 PM PST
by
sionnsar
(IranAzadi|5yst3m 0wn3d-it's N0t Y0ur5:SONY|Remember Neda Agha-Soltan|TV--it's NOT news you can trust)
To: Stoat
If they could gotten “Louie , Louie” approved for the State anthem , this one would have been a freebee .
4
posted on
01/11/2010 8:20:54 PM PST
by
kbennkc
(For those who have fought for it , freedom has a flavor the protected will never know F Trp 8th Cav)
To: Stoat
For all the trouble that pot consumption directly causes, it is probably dwarfed by the side effects of the underground traffic it feeds in Mexico. While I have never smoked pot, I believe this ought to be an issue of medical focus rather than police focus, just as habitually drinking too much would be.
5
posted on
01/11/2010 8:23:12 PM PST
by
HiTech RedNeck
(I am in America but not of America (per bible: am in the world but not of it))
To: Stoat
This is horrble. The Mexican drug cartels that sell marijuana in Washington could lose money!
6
posted on
01/11/2010 8:24:09 PM PST
by
MichiganConservative
(I wouldn't hate the government if it didn't exist. (Evil + Stupid) === Government)
To: nahanrac
I’m just pinging because I can ping.
7
posted on
01/11/2010 8:26:03 PM PST
by
lilycicero
(Bet I get a lot of people who suddenly want to visit WA....I'd tell them bug off.)
To: MichiganConservative
Actually, Washington’s weed comes from Canada, and the — uh, businessmen — who sell it are Asians.
8
posted on
01/11/2010 8:26:55 PM PST
by
Publius
To: Stoat
The initiatives in CA and WA will pass in 2010.
What will the feds do then?
9
posted on
01/11/2010 8:29:56 PM PST
by
Mariner
To: Stoat
Legalizing mj wouldn’t cause me to use it, but I don’t abstain because it is currently illegal.
10
posted on
01/11/2010 8:33:10 PM PST
by
umgud
(I couldn't understand why the ball kept getting bigger......... then it hit me.)
To: Stoat
I don’t understand who wants stringent laws against pot? I’m conservative, and I think it should be legal. The dirty hippies certainly want it legal. Who doesn’t, I don’t get it?
To: Publius
This is horrible. The legitimate Asian businessmen who sell marijuana in Washington could lose money!
12
posted on
01/11/2010 8:37:45 PM PST
by
MichiganConservative
(I wouldn't hate the government if it didn't exist. (Evil + Stupid) === Government)
To: MichiganConservative
Well, they’ll have to go “legit” and pay the state’s business-and-occupation tax and deal with the environmental and occupational safety folks. This state makes it hard for any businessman to do business, legitimate or otherwise.
13
posted on
01/11/2010 8:39:47 PM PST
by
Publius
To: Publius
legitimate businessmen's representative:
14
posted on
01/11/2010 8:42:38 PM PST
by
MichiganConservative
(I wouldn't hate the government if it didn't exist. (Evil + Stupid) === Government)
To: Stoat
Potheads are MUCH more likely to vote dem. I know this from experience w/ people I’ve met.
15
posted on
01/11/2010 8:49:37 PM PST
by
matt1234
To: matt1234
Yeah, but they’ll be too stoned to remember there was an election.
16
posted on
01/11/2010 8:50:30 PM PST
by
Publius
To: Stoat
I can still remember when there was a sign at the southern border of Oregon stating:
Welcome to Oregon. Stay awhile. Have fun. Go back to California.
Washington was conservative then and I think Oregon might have been also.
Now they both nuts, at least along the coast and that’s the part that fixes the votes.
To: Rembrandt
Washington has never been conservative since the New Deal. James Farley, FDR’s Postmaster General and political fixer, described the US in 1937 as “47 states and the Soviet of Washington.”
18
posted on
01/11/2010 8:55:20 PM PST
by
Publius
To: robert561
Big Pharma and William Randolph Hearst do not want ANY
competition.
Which would you do for ‘stress’?
Take a valium or smoke a joint?
19
posted on
01/11/2010 8:57:27 PM PST
by
bigoil
To: Stoat
...this was done in order to remain in compliance with Free Republic rules pertaining to the posting of articles from this source I figgered the author just spaced it out ;~)
20
posted on
01/12/2010 1:27:55 PM PST
by
4woodenboats
(More taxes and fried brains - Bodacious....,like Totally)
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-20, 21 next last
Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson