The Columbian, 01 Sep 2012 – We, Washington state voters, will be asked on Nov. 6 to consider Initiative 502 on legalizing marijuana. Marijuana use is proven to lower IQ on average by eight points. Here is one such study report: http://www.webmd.com/brain/news/20120827/pot-use-teen-years-lower-iq?.

DrugSense

DrugSense

DrugSense

The Columbian, 28 Aug 2012 – Ask a person why they smoke marijuana. Most are honest and say it is because of the "high" or euphoric feelings that they get – the buzz. The drug alters their perception of reality and makes them feel better about themselves. Many medical users are recreational users. I have seen marijuana smokers go from productive citizens and students to unmotivated dropouts and unemployable drains on society. Now they want us to legalize this drug. Those in favor of legal marijuana compare this drug to alcohol. Alcohol stays in your system a few hours depending on the quantity that you consume. THC (the part of marijuana that gives you the high) in the drug, once inhaled, can stay in your system for up to two weeks, depending on the circumstances.

Kitsap Sun, 25 Aug 2012 – PORT ORCHARD — A bad wreck four years ago left Raymond Alloway with chronic pain in his back, neck and legs and triggered migraine headaches. A year after the accident, he discovered marijuana as medicine and got authorized to use cannabis to relieve pain and headaches.

Seattle Times, 24 Aug 2012 – 23 Dispensaries At Issue: Within 1,000 Feet of an ‘Educational Facility or Other Prohibited Area’ For the past few years, as businesses associated with medical marijuana have proliferated in Western Washington, federal prosecutors have taken mostly a hands-off approach.

Seattle Weekly, 22 Aug 2012 – On the cusp of history, NORML’s founder calls for sanity in the I-502 debate. Washington, D.C., lawyer Keith Stroup founded NORML, one of the nation’s leading organizations advocating marijuana law reform, in 1970. So he’s been working this issue a long, long time. But now he’s seeing something new in Washington state. And it’s not good.

Kitsap Sun, 19 Aug 2012 – SILVERDALE — "Cannabis," someone once told Ezra Eickmeyer, "is a gateway drug to natural medicine." The 36-year-old lobbyist-turned-entrepreneur has been a big believer in natural remedies for ailments much of his life, and he was only bolstered in those beliefs after trying cannabis as a teenager. He sees the plant as having healing properties as opposed to certain pharmaceutical drugs that merely suppress symptoms.

Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 19 Aug 2012 – Washington’s annual Hempfest – a three-day celebration of pot, bongs and hemp bead necklaces that is typically one of Seattle’s largest festivals – was uncharacteristically worked up Saturday over what should have been cause for laidback cheering: a fast-gaining ballot initiative to legalize possession of small quantities of marijuana. Ballot measures to legalize marijuana are sprinting toward the polls in three Western states in November. Marijuana supporters say Washington’s vote on Initiative 502 is important to maintain national momentum on an issue that is beginning to see steady gains in popular support.