DrugSense
posted on October 1, 2012 by
US WA: Washington State Could Be Test Case In Pot Legalization
Commercial Appeal, 30 Sep 2012 – SEATTLE – In the waning days of a campaign to legalize marijuana in California two years ago, all nine ex-directors of the Drug Enforcement Administration simultaneously urged Obama officials to come out in strong opposition. The pressure worked: Attorney General Eric Holder declared his office would "vigorously enforce" the federal ban on marijuana "even if such activities are permitted under state law."
posted on October 1, 2012 by
US WA: OPED: Yes: Under Current Laws, Criminals Benefit
The Columbian, 30 Sep 2012 – YES: UNDER CURRENT LAWS, CRIMINALS BENEFIT, PUBLIC SAFETY SUFFERS I do not personally support or condone the use of marijuana. However, as a 27-year veteran of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, I believe it is time to reform our marijuana laws. The prohibition of the purchase and possession of small amounts of marijuana by adults has caused more harm than good. Like alcohol Prohibition did in the last century, marijuana prohibition has enriched criminal organizations and compromised public safety here and abroad.
posted on October 1, 2012 by
US WA: In Our View: Legalizing Taxing Marijuana Endorsed
The Columbian, 30 Sep 2012 – Prohibition of marijuana has failed as miserably as prohibition of alcohol did back in the 1920s. It’s time to recognize the obvious: The longer we fight the war against marijuana, the greater grows the defeat.Initiative 502 on the Nov. 6 ballot would legalize recreational use of marijuana, which would be highly taxed and heavily regulated by the state. Licensed farmers would grow marijuana to be sold in private marijuana-only stores. The Columbian endorses Initiative 502 for many reasons, not the least of which is financial. I-502 offers Washingtonians the chance to radically change how we react to marijuana, from wasting $211 million over the past decade enforcing marijuana laws, to creating a revenue stream of more than $500 million annually via a 25 percent excise tax (plus other taxes) on legal marijuana sales.
posted on October 1, 2012 by
US WA: OPED: No: Measure Is Really A Trap To Ensnare Regular
The Columbian, 30 Sep 2012 – NO: MEASURE IS REALLY A TRAP TO ENSNARE REGULAR USERS OF CANNABIS The first thing we all need to understand is that Initiative 502 does not "legalize" marijuana in the state of Washington. Every single law that makes marijuana illegal in this state will remain on the books. In fact, I-502 adds additions prohibitions, in the form of "per se" DUI laws on marijuana users that have far more serious consequences for both cannabis patients and recreational users.
posted on September 29, 2012 by
US WA: OPED: Feds Need to Hold Up on L.A. Pot Raids
The Herald, 29 Sep 2012 – Late last year, U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. affirmed the Obama administration’s long-standing policy of taking a hands-off approach to states that had legalized medical marijuana, saying federal resources wouldn’t be expended on enforcement actions as long as purveyors obeyed state law. On Tuesday, Los Angeles got a taste of the current interpretation of that policy — which is that our dispensaries are out of bounds. Federal officials started their first major operation in L.A. by raiding dispensaries, filing court papers to seize properties rented to medical marijuana sellers and sending letters to property owners and operators of 67 dispensaries warning them to shut down within two weeks or face similar treatment. More such actions are promised.
