Daily Freeman, 15 Dec 2012 – Obama Says Pursuing Recreational Drug Users Not ‘Top Priority’ SEATTLE (AP) – Backers of new laws that legalized marijuana in Washington and Colorado were cautiously optimistic after President Barack Obama said Uncle Sam wouldn’t pursue pot users in those states.

Seattle Times, 15 Dec 2012 – PRESIDENT Obama’s statement of tolerance toward legalized marijuana is welcome. He is being respectful of the rights of states and of the people in Colorado and Washington who have changed marijuana law in public votes. "It would not make sense," Obama told Barbara Walters of ABC News, "for us to see a top priority as going after recreational users in states that have determined that it’s legal."

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The Herald, 09 Dec 2012 – The legalization of same-sex marriage and Washington’s okay to marijuana throws light on a permeable wall. There are human rights, and there are civil liberties. Because a human being is not inherently entitled to ganja (cannabis use isn’t the same as freedom from slavery or cruel or unusual punishment) smoking dope is a question of civil liberties and where, how and if we impose restrictions. Marriage equality transcends the boundary, a human right – all people are born free and equal in dignity and rights – and a civil liberty.

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LA Weekly, 05 Dec 2012 – A Primer for Potential Pot Tourists. Vancouver is rarely touted for its progressive politics, but Portland’s sister city to the north now may now have one solid, um, high point. With passage of ballot initiative I-502, Washington joined Colorado this year as one of the first two U.S. states to legalize pot for recreational use. Meanwhile, Oregon’s own campaign to legalize non-medical marijuana, Measure 80, went down in flames.

The Columbian, 06 Dec 2012 – History will be made today in our state, but multiple uncertainties linge r Landmark measures of consent take effect today – Thursday, Dec. 6 – in Washington state. The recognition of same-sex marriage and the legalization of marijuana use were authorized by voters on Nov. 6. However, both remain in conflict with – if not in direct violation of – – federal law. But there’s a world of difference in how Washingtonians will be responding to the two measures.

The Philadelphia Inquirer, 06 Dec 2012 – SEATTLE (AP) – Legal marijuana possession becomes a reality in Washington state Thursday, and some plan to celebrate the new law by breaking it. Voters in Washington and Colorado last month made those the first states to decriminalize and regulate the recreational use of marijuana. Washington’s law takes effect Thursday and allows adults to have up to an ounce of pot – but it bans public use, which is punishable by a fine.

Traverse City Record-Eagle, 03 Dec 2012 – Washington’s New State Law Goes into Effect This Week SEATTLE (AP) – In the late1980s heyday of the anti-drug "Just Say No" campaign, a man calling himself "Jerry" appeared on a Seattle talk radio show to criticize U.S. marijuana laws. The Associated PressTravel guide author and marijuana legalization supporter Rick Steves holds a campaign sign in his office in Edmonds, Wash..

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