The Herald, 20 Jan 2013 – Some farmers in the state say growing pot would pose tremendous problems. YAKIMA – Irrigation canals line the Yakima Valley east of the Cascade Range, transforming a desert landscape into one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world – including crops for some of America’s biggest vices.

The Columbian, 19 Jan 2013 – The Columbian’s Jan. 10 editorial "Perplexed About Pot" is long overdue. More than 20,000 scientific studies about marijuana/cannabis exist and none give it a clean bill of health. I’ve often sent copies of PubMed’s monthly list of published studies on marijuana to The Columbian, hoping someone would bother to take a look at them, and I’ve also sent the long list of studies linking marijuana to psychosis and schizophrenia. All to no avail. At least 99 percent of advocates for pot legalization are, I suspect, users – and rarely is it for any perceived or misconceived "medical" reason. Unfortunately, a number of these pot users are also extremely wealthy and have been buying media space and supporting hempfests and drug culture conferences for years.

Seattle Times, 21 Jan 2013 – Now That It’s Legal, Will It Flourish? Biggest Question Is Federal Government YAKIMA – Irrigation canals line Washington’s Yakima Valley east of the Cascade Range, transforming a desert landscape into one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world – including crops for some of America’s biggest vices.

DrugSense

Tulsa World, 20 Jan 2013 – YAKIMA, Wash. (AP) – Irrigation canals line Washington’s Yakima Valley east of the Cascade Range, transforming a desert landscape into one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world – including crops for some of America’s biggest vices. Thousands of acres of wine grapes dot the landscape, contributing to Washington’s No. 2 rank for premium wine production behind California. Farmers grow more than twothirds of U.S. hops for big beer companies and craft brewers alike, and a large tobacco field is flourishing.

Seattle Times, 19 Jan 2013 – As Washington state prepares for a legal-marijuana industry, questions loom about whether the federal government will crack down or look away. Gov. Jay Inslee will meet with U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder next week to learn more. Gov. Jay Inslee and state Attorney General Bob Ferguson will travel to Washington, D.C., next week to meet with U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to discuss marijuana enforcement and implementation of Initiative 502, our state’s voter-approved legal-pot law.

The Herald, 18 Jan 2013 – SEATTLE — A real estate investor who attracted attention in Everett a dozen years ago for promising big things after buying up historic buildings that had gone to seed is facing six years in prison for drug trafficking. Craig Douglas Dieffenbach, 51,was sentenced Friday in U.S. District Court in Seattle. He was caught running a criminal enterprise camouflaged as a medical-marijuana business.

Seattle Times, 11 Jan 2013 – WASHINGTON is uniquely positioned to show the nation how a well-considered market for marijuana is a safer, saner and more lucrative approach than prohibition. Let’s not screw it up. The Washington State Liquor Control Board, the new marijuana overseer for the voter-approved market, has its work cut out.

The Columbian, 10 Jan 2013 – Son of Ted Kennedy Inspired by Own Struggles With Drugs SEATTLE — Kevin Sabet, a former White House drug policy adviser and an outspoken opponent of legalizing marijuana, watched with dismay last fall as voters in Washington and Colorado did just that.

The Columbian, 10 Jan 2013 – Even Now That Marijuana Use Is Legalized, National Level of Ignorance Is Dangerous Unfortunately, confusion – rather than enlightment – continues to hover like a cloud over the issue of marijuana in America. All the more reason for both proponents and adversaries of legalized recreational use of pot to abstain from jumping to conclusions. Americans simply need to learn more.