Spokesman-Review, 20 Oct 2012 – Pro: Law Enforcement Should Have Time, Resources To Focus On More-Serious Crimes Over my 30-year legal career, I’ve worked as a prosecutor, public defender and corrections official. I encountered many disturbed individuals and saw a lot of horrifying cases rape, murder and child abuse. Sometimes it was difficult to go to work knowing what awaited me. But I did go because I wanted to believe my actions were making the community safer. As time went on, however, it became increasingly apparent that the criminal justice system’s focus on consensual "crimes," like those involving marijuana, destroys lives rather than protecting them. Today, with Initiative 502, the initiative to legalize and regulate marijuana, Washingtonians can vote to reverse this trend. I hope we do.