NORML Board's George Rohrbacher speaks from Main Stage at Seattle Hempfest
(Seattle Times) ONCE again, the Seattle Hempfest drew tens of thousands to parks along the waterfront this weekend. In its mission statement, the all-volunteer organization that produces the event says, “The public is better served when citizens and public officials work cooperatively in order to successfully accomplish common goals.”
We agree. That is why we, as a Democratic state senator and former Republican state representative, support state Senate Bill 5615. This bill would reclassify adult possession of marijuana from a crime carrying a mandatory day in jail to a civil infraction imposing a $100 penalty payable by mail. The bill was voted out of committee with a bipartisan “do pass” recommendation and will be considered by legislators in 2010.
The bill makes a lot of sense, especially in this time of severely strapped budgets. Our state Office of Financial Management reported annual savings of $16 million and $1 million in new revenue if SB 5615 passes. Of that $1 million, $590,000 would be earmarked for the Washington State Criminal Justice Treatment Account to increase support of our underfunded drug-treatment and drug-prevention services….
What? Two politicians are mentioning Hempfest in their opening to support marijuana decriminalization? I thought all those tie-dyes onstage turned those kinds of people off.
Still, decriminalization must be just an incremental step toward full legalization. With decrim, you are just legalizing the end consumer, but not the producer and distributor of the marijuana. While law enforcement and court resources may be saved from no longer busting personal use, there will still be raids on those who grow and sell, which still keeps the prices high, still keeps the Mexican cartels in business, still promotes clandestine grows on public land, and still promotes violence.
[...] Dem State Senator, former GOP State Rep, call for marijuana decriminalization in Washington [...]