No Pot for You (yet...)

 
State lawmakers on Wednesday killed two pieces of legislation that would've legalized or decriminalized marijuana in our state, but Washington voters may still get a chance to weigh in on the matter this fall if enough signatures are collected to put a citizen imitative legalizing marijuana on the November ballot.


By a six to two vote, the House Public Safety & Emergency Preparedness Committee defeated House Bill 2401 - that's the bill that would have made pot use legal for people over aged 21, with revenues taxed by the state.


I'm all for reforming marijuana laws - but "legalization" at the state level simply isn't practical unless the Federal government is on board.  Did the supporters of HB 2401 really think that "this Washington" could sell pot without having "the other Washington" send in DEA agents to close the state stores?


That's why House Bill 1177 was a much more practical approach - it would have "decriminalized" possession of small amounts of pot, making it a civil infraction subject to a fine, but was defeated by a vote of five to three.


"Decriminalization" would have effectively removed the state from the "War on Drugs" as far as marijuana was concerned, saving the state millions of dollars in enforcement, prosecution and incarceration costs for something that is widely considered to be a victimless crime.


A KING5/SurveyUSA poll found a majority of people from ages 18-64 thought legalization was a good idea The poll of 500 adults, which had a margin of error of 4.5 percent, found that overall 56 percent of respondents supported legalization. Of all the age groups surveyed, only people older than 65 were against it.


Meanwhile, activists have filed a ballot initiative with the WA Secretary of State's office that would legalize all adult marijuana possession, manufacturing and sales.