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."

The Herald, 13 Dec 2012 – Ah, the great American West, where man can generally breathe free and also inhale – woman, too. Thank you, thank you, voters in Colorado and Washington state, for legalizing marijuana. But will Washington, D.C., leave you alone? Attorney General Eric Holder said this week that the Justice Department will weigh its response to the state referenda. A new national poll finds 58 percent of Americans in favor of making marijuana legal and only 39 percent against. A raft of other state laws easing the prohibition on pot and growing public contempt for the existing law should be enough to change the policy. And so should a basic sense of decency.

Spokesman-Review, 12 Dec 2012 – The drug-trafficking convictions of the man who operated Spokane’s first medical marijuana dispensary were reversed Tuesday in a state Appeals Court ruling that also appears to clear the way for commercial dispensaries to operate legally in Eastern Washington. While the case provides needed clarification in state law over how medical marijuana users can legally fill their prescriptions, U.S. Attorney Mike Ormsby said federal prosecutors will continue to target certain operations.

The Columbian, 12 Dec 2012 – The Dec. 6 Columbian story "Get the straight dope on what’s legal, not as law takes effect," about the legality of the use of marijuana contains misleading statements. Two of them are: "Initiative 502 makes the possession and use of one ounce of marijuana legal for those 21 and older" and "Initiative 502 makes it legal to use marijuana in private, not in a public place such as a park or on the street." The initiative changes the Washington law prohibiting marijuana. The state initiative has no affect on the federal law which classifies marijuana as a Schedule 1 controlled substance which prohibits its use, possession and sale. "Anyone operating a car under the influence of marijuana will be arrested" is also misleading. A test for the blood level of THC, tetrahydrocannabinol, that a police officer can administer upon stopping a suspected driver such as the Breathalyzer test for alcohol is not available.

DrugSense

The Herald, 11 Dec 2012 – Dependence is not addiction. Slight irritability and minor insomnia are not withdrawal symptoms and even the 1 in 10 who seem unable to control their use can lay the blame on their addictive personalities rather than weed. In her Sunday column, Julie Muhlstein writes of "problems pot presents" yet doesn’t cite even one. Her dependence on Catholicism is far more difficult to overcome than a weed habit. I say that because religion is a drug, it makes its users feel better, soon takes over their lives, results in delusional thinking, and once hooked, the recovery rate is very low. Coffee is more difficult to quit that weed. Over 100,000 deaths each year can be linked to alcohol, not to mention the fact that most violent crimes, assault, rape, and murder, as well as robberies, are alcohol-related, making it the most dangerous drug available. Zero deaths are caused by weed.

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.

The Herald, 09 Dec 2012 – Initiative Backers Say Their Priority Was to End Arrests for Possession, and Leave the Details of Regulation to Officials. It sounds so contradictory. It’s now legal for adults 21 and older in Washington to possess up to an ounce of pot. They just can’t legally buy it, at least not for another year.

The Herald, 09 Dec 2012 – Marriage equality and legal pot use took effect the same day. Yes, Washington made history last week with two new laws. Both validate libertarian get-out-of-my-private-life views. Yet I see them as very different, despite the link of timing.

The Herald, 09 Dec 2012 – An Official at an Everett Drug Treatment Center and Former Pot User Believes We’re Setting Ourselves Up for Big Problems. EVERETT – When he was 15, Robert McCullough knew he was addicted to marijuana.