Slog

News & Arts

Line Out

Music & the City
at Night

« Robert B. Parker | Lunchtime Quickie: Microwave vs Box… »

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Olympia Pot Bills Are Toast

Posted by Dominic Holden on Tue, Jan 19, 2010 at 11:25 AM

As I predicted in this week's paper, it looks like both marijuana bills in the state legislature—one to decriminalize pot possession and one to legalize pot completely—are up in smoke:

On Wednesday, the House Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Committee is expected to vote down bills dealing with legalization and decriminalization of marijuana.

Rep. Chris Hurst, chariman of the public safety panel, told me there are not enough votes to move either bill out of committee. While amendments to one or both bills could be proposed Wednesday, he did not envision enough minds would change to alter the outcome.

There are five Democrats and three Republicans on the committee. The Republicans will unite against the bills. Hurst and Rep. Al O'Brien, D-Mountlake Terrace, both former cops, each said they will oppose the bills.

If Washington state will ever change pot laws, it will be by an initiative. But it won't be a radical initiative that taxes and regulates pot—which would conflict with federal law and doesn't have enough public support to pass—it will be a measure to remove penalties for personal possession. The groups working on this ought to team up with Tim Eyman and get that sucker on the ballot this year, when the mid-term turnout is big.

Comments (13) RSS

Oldest First Unregistered On Registered On Add a comment

I love toast. Especially after getting high.

Posted by Unpaid Intern on January 19, 2010 at 11:47 AM

Does this mean we've won the war on drugs?

Posted by Urgutha Forka on January 19, 2010 at 11:53 AM

Not shocking. Politicians are so scared of being perceived as "soft on crime" that they will do anything to maintain the chickenshit status quo.

Posted by Zoroastronomer on January 19, 2010 at 11:58 AM

bunch of cowards - guess the guys at sensiblewashington.org have the right approach

Posted by Will in Seattle

on January 19, 2010 at 12:03 PM

Tim Eyman making an initiative that is logical and sensible? That would be the day. Having his name associated with a decriminalization initiative would, in and of itself, ensure that it would never pass.

Posted by Reg on January 19, 2010 at 12:12 PM

Taxing pot conflicts with federal laws? Really? That's funny, because the state is taxing pot here right now.

Posted by Fifty-Two-Eighty

on January 19, 2010 at 12:16 PM

@5 ftw, Tim E for the Turning-WA-into-Cali loss.

Posted by Will in Seattle

on January 19, 2010 at 12:16 PM

Why on earth did anyone allow themselves to pretend that either of these had a snowball's chance in hell of going anywhere? And why did the media perpetuate that idea, when most knew it was a joke?

Posted by ygod on January 19, 2010 at 12:20 PM

So can we now put to rest once-and-for-all the canard that Republicans are all about personal responsibility, freedom from government intrusion and unfettered Capitalism, and are really just about trying to control people's minds and bodies to the greatest extent possible?

Posted by COMTE

on January 19, 2010 at 1:10 PM

Why do you say it wouldn't have enough public support to pass? Doesn't that conflict with your previous reporting on the polling that shows an overwhelming majority supports legalization?

As for federal laws, they're not going to change until at least the most progressive states push.

Posted by Plz explain on January 19, 2010 at 1:26 PM

personally, I like the fan page for Sensible Washington - all my 43rd peeps are becoming FB fans of it.

Posted by Will in Seattle

on January 19, 2010 at 1:48 PM

Just remove penalties for personal possession but make everything else illegal? Sounds like you're setting us up for the biggest gangter haven in the country. Everyone is free to consume while it is illegal to produce and sell. Gangs violently battle over distribution for the many citizens that are free to smoke a bowl in public. Streets become crowded with dealers as you can't prove anything other than simple possession. More people are killed as competition goes up and residents start to freak even more. Over one hundred people die in drug liberal Vancouver BC each year because of drugs and even more go missing.

Posted by thin with your brain on January 19, 2010 at 3:47 PM