Island Gazette, 21 Oct 2012 – Washington voters have an opportunity to end decades of harm caused by marijuana prohibition. Study after study has confirmed that marijuana is safer than alcohol, healthier than tobacco. Yet we have arrested tens of thousands of Washingtonians for nonviolent, small-quantity marijuana offenses. Initiative 502 would legalize, tax, and regulate marijuana for adults 21 and over.

The Columbian, 21 Oct 2012 – If Washington voters approve Initiative 502 to legalize recreational marijuana sales — an increasingly likely outcome — they’ll at least be generating new business for lawyers who will try to resolve huge conflicts between state and federal drug laws. But if and when that smoke settles, the initiative could also create new business opportunities for farmers, property owners, and retailers. And transport of marijuana from legalized Washington to Oregon (if Oregon’s own legalization measure fails) would open another box of legal issues regarding enforcement of drug transport laws.

Spokesman-Review, 20 Oct 2012 – Cannabis prohibition has failed us. Criminal syndicates have been the clear benefactors, and we continue to waste an opportunity for needed tax revenue, and to create jobs. Legalization, taxation and regulation is the answer. That said, Initiative 502 is an appealing measure at first glance. It’s important to note, however, that despite the political message of the campaign behind it, I-502 would not legalize cannabis.

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.

The Herald, 21 Oct 2012 – Initiative 502 causes more harm than good. It promotes "legalization" of marijuana (cannabis). "Legalization" fosters a perception that cannabis is harmless and less risky. This will be associated with more people trying and using cannabis, both adults and teens. Marijuana is neither safe nor harmless. There are more than 400 compounds in the cannabis plant and 60 or more cannabinoids (the active substances in the marijuana plant). Only a few of these substances have been studied. Smoking marijuana produces harmful substances similar to those produced when tobacco is smoked. Smoking causes lung problems similar to tobacco. Cannabis causes a decrease in short-term memory, attention, learning, and concentration. This causes problems in school, at work and with driving. For some users, the psychological effects are even more troubling. Anxiety and paranoia can be crippling. Studies with schizophrenics have shown that cannabis use made their schizophrenia worse.

Issaquah Press, 16 Oct 2012 – Despite decades of enforcement and untold millions of dollars, marijuana prohibition does not work. Initiative 502 possesses the potential to clear the air and allow Washington to legalize small amounts of marijuana for recreational use among adults 21 and older. The ballot measure outlines a sensible plan for the state to legalize, regulate and tax marijuana.

Spokesman-Review, 18 Oct 2012 – This responds to the Oct. 2 editorial "Regulation, taxation of marijuana worth a try." Opponents of marijuana policy reform will argue that it is an "addictive" or "gateway drug." A defining feature of addiction is the presence of withdrawal symptoms, but there is no medical consensus recognizing a cannabis withdrawal syndrome, without which asserting addictiveness is disingenuous.

Seattle Times, 19 Oct 2012 – IF you think marijuana is something other people do, then you’re in the same boat I was a year and a half ago. That’s when I found myself buying pot for the first time in my life – with my 70-something immigrant parents.

DrugSense

The Columbian, 18 Oct 2012 – City, which was sued over issue Tuesday, could lift ban by year’s end Collective medical marijuana gardens, which have been subject to extended moratoria in Clark County, are proposed to be allowed in Vancouver’s heavy industrial and light industrial zones.