Comparing Pot Use to Something Else That's None of the Government's Business. Before I launch into this analogy, I would like to say that I understand how many will find it inappropriate, and that I came up with the notion while stoned out of my mind. I'm starting to think about cannabis as having a similar journey and backstory to Olympic gold medalist and transgender reality star Caitlyn Jenner. Until recently, like Jenner, trailblazers on the weed front have organized in secret closets and basements, hoping one day to live safely, truthfully, and freely in the great wide open. And, like Jenner, marijuana-aka Mary Jane-has been an accomplished, harmless, and friendly sexpot all along . . . but has recently undergone a full makeover and is beginning to dress things up with PR campaigns, professional packaging, couture oils, and all-important accessories. [continues 778 words]
Imaginative Approaches to Pot Laws. It's no surprise that some of the people working to reform marijuana laws are a little out of the norm, shall we say. And with the era of Reefer Madness waning, it also makes sense that weed advocates and drug-policy reformers would begin to try new-some might even say wacky-approaches. Here are some personal favorites. Hundreds of cities and municipalities in legal states have attempted to ban marijuana with various ordinances, but now there's one related to the smell itself. The city of Pendleton, Ore., recently banned the odor of weed within the city limits. To counter this ridiculous regulation, a man wrote the local paper, the East Oregonian, suggesting that if they are opposed to the aroma of ganja, they should also ban farts-as that dank cloud truly is offensive. "While farting may be legal in Oregon, many (including myself) are offended by the flatulent stench," wrote Peter Walters. "Too often, homeowners and businesses fail to contain farts to their property, forcing the rest of us to put up with the smell. Some habitual farters argue that they need to fart for medical reasons, but that doesn't mean my kids should have to smell their farts. The city council should stop looking the other way and pretending not to notice . . . I call on our city council to set aside all other work and address this problem." [continues 623 words]
A roundup of reefer news. Never thought I'd say this, but there's almost too much marijuana in the news as of late. With cover stories this month in both Time (by local journalist and former Seattle Weekly scribe Bruce Barcott) and National Geographic ("The New Science of Marijuana"), you can't walk by a newsstand or go online without getting a contact high. Of course it's great that mainstream publications are finally treating the subject of cannabis in a more mature manner, rather than continuing to deliver cliched jokes about smokescreens and . . . contact highs. Still, I wish Time and Nat. Geo had saved some for later. Like good ganja, ya gotta space the hits out. [continues 736 words]
DON'T envy Steve Lerch. He is the state official tasked with estimating how much tax revenue Washington's grand experiment with legal marijuana will yield. As Lerch says, decades of sales- and property-tax data inform his predictive algorithms, but when it comes to legal pot, he has only a few quarters of history. Nonetheless, the state Economic and Revenue Forecast Council's latest estimates predict the state will yield an eye-popping $1.1 billion - yes, billion - in marijuana tax revenue over the next four years. [continues 449 words]
THE era of flagrantly illegal marijuana storefronts operating under the guise of green-cross dispensaries may finally be coming to an end. Emboldened by the passage - finally - of statewide legislation regulating medical marijuana, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray is proposing to rein in the local dispensary market. This is a step in the right direction for Seattle. City Council members should pass this legislation quickly so enforcement can begin. As any resident knows, medical marijuana dispensaries with green-cross signs seem almost as common as Starbucks. The city estimates there are 99 dispensaries citywide. Many opened before voters authorized recreational marijuana sales in 2012 with Initiative 502, and the stores tried to operate as professional businesses before there were any clear rules governing their business practices. [continues 269 words]
Regarding the letter, "Keep pot shops away from churches," where author invites his readers, "what say you." Well, here's what I say: I don't have a problem with the city of Everett Planning Commission allowing legal "pot shops" next to churches. Also, believe me, I-502 is not flawed. It has been scrutinized by lawyers inside and out. What is now the legal standard is what the voters voted in favor of. By the way, although I am not the most religious person in the world, but last I checked, the Bible said we are all God's children ... that would include those who legally own and run "pot shops." You could, for instance, invite them to church. You just never know. Kathryn Peterson Mountlake Terrace [end]
How Drug Laws Don't Affect Everyone Equally. It's good to be white. For example, as a white guy, I'm statistically more likely to be selling drugs than an African-American man (I've always been too scared of going to jail to actually sell pot, but I'm using this to make my point.) If I were black, however, it would be three times more likely that I'd be arrested for dealing. It gets even better for whitey. Though five times as many of us use drugs, African-Americans are sent to prison 10 times as often for the same crimes. And once ya get to jail? On average, African-Americans serve as much time in prisons for drug offenses (58 months) as white folks do for violent ones (62 months). [continues 827 words]
As State Combines Medical, Recreational Systems License Limits Could Shut More Than 50 Medical Operations Mayor Ed Murray on Tuesday proposed legislation that could shut down more than 50 medical-marijuana dispensaries and give the city a tighter grip on the rest of Seattle's pot industry. The plan would create a new business license specific to the marijuana industry and create priorities for enforcement against medical-marijuana businesses. The mayor's plan follows state lawmakers' effort to fold medical marijuana into the state's recreational system. The new state law, approved last month, calls for the Liquor Control Board (which will be renamed the Liquor and Cannabis Board) to assess the merit of medical-marijuana businesses and license those that qualify by July 2016. [continues 1203 words]
Medical-Marijuana Licenses for Shops, Growers Lottery Unlikely OLYMPIA (AP) - Big changes are coming to the state Liquor Control Board, including a name change. The same law that will change the name July 24 to the "Liquor and Cannabis Board" also directed the agency to decide which unlicensed medical-marijuana shops and grow operations to legitimize by July 1, 2016. The process will involve a merit system, The Olympian reported. The agency assumes 825 unlicensed medical shops will apply for a license and that half will receive one. [continues 407 words]
Before he tried marijuana, he thought of trying suicide. Heavy drinking hadn't helped. Nor had various pills prescribed by Veterans Affairs doctors. He was still angry, still depressed, still could not sleep. But he found that marijuana helped. It took the anger and depression away. It took the sleeplessness away. Most of all, it took the 11-year-old boy away. Pfc. Jared Hunter never knew the boy's name. He was just some Iraqi kid who liked to hang around the Army base outside Baghdad. "He didn't really speak English or nothing. He would just kind of follow us around and would point things out or tell us if there was somebody there who shouldn't have been." The soldiers adopted him as a mascot. Hunter bought him a soccer ball. [continues 560 words]
Before he tried marijuana, he thought of trying suicide. Heavy drinking hadn't helped. Nor had various pills prescribed by Veterans Affairs doctors. He was still angry, still depressed, still could not sleep. But he found that marijuana helped. It took the anger and depression away. It took the sleeplessness away. Most of all, it took the 11-year-old boy away. PFC Jared Hunter never knew the boy's name. He was just some Iraqi kid who liked to hang around the U.S. Army base outside Baghdad. "He didn't really speak English or nothing. He would just kind of follow us around and would point things out or tell us if there was somebody there who shouldn't have been." The soldiers adopted him as a mascot. Hunter bought him a soccer ball. [continues 559 words]
Manspreaders? Screaming Kids? There Are Plenty of Options. Anytime I go to a dive bar or pool hall or rock-'n'-roll show, in the back of my mind it feels like there's something missing. It's not the booze or long-lost jukeboxes, it's not the condom vending machines, filthy bathrooms, or obnoxious, aging, bandana-wearing Axl Rose doppelgaengers. So what exactly is it? Smoke! I'm missing the damn cigarette smoke that for so long provided a hazy backdrop of second-hand nostalgia. [continues 725 words]
In January, the SEC for the first time allowed a company that deals with marijuana cultivation to sell shares of stock. The convention floor at Denver Airport's Crowne Plaza on a recent afternoon could have been the trade show for any well-established industry - gray-haired execs in conservative suits mingling with office park dads in polos and fresh-out-of-college types in brand emblazoned T-shirts. Only this is a new kind of business conference with a special Colorado theme: legal weed. [continues 580 words]
MORE than 500 people die of opioid overdoses in Washington state each year. This death toll has skyrocketed over the past decade as opioid addiction rates have risen, fueled by expanded access to prescription opioids and more potent, inexpensive heroin. Increasingly, public-health advocates and researchers have shone a light on an antidote to overdose death. Naloxone, also known by its brand name Narcan, can be injected or administered intranasally after someone has overdosed. Naloxone quickly binds to opioid receptors in the brain, reversing the overdose, and frequently forces the person into a speedy, but often painfully intense, withdrawal. For many people, naloxone means the difference between life or death. [continues 662 words]
As states open up to marijuana, let's not forget those still serving hard time for possessing a plant. When I talk to my friends about the marijuana movement, most think it's a fun idea that's basically run its course. I mean, everyone agrees pot will eventually be legal, right? So what's left to talk about? While folks in four states can now get high as a kite without consequences, more than 600,000 citizens are arrested each year for marijuana-related offenses, and almost 100,000 men and women currently serve sentences for drug offenses. [continues 789 words]
Howard Wooldridge, a Washington lobbyist, is a former detective and forever Texan on an important mission - trying to persuade the 535 members of Congress to end the federal war on marijuana. Liberals tend to be an easier sell than conservatives. With liberals, Wooldridge dwells on the grossly racist way the war on drugs has been prosecuted. "The war on drugs," he tells them, "has been the most immoral policy since slavery and Jim Crow." Conservatives hear a different argument, but one that Wooldridge holds every bit as dear: "Give it back to the states." [continues 514 words]
Supporter of Medical Marijuana Doesn't Want Cannabis Patients in Same System Seated at a desk inside his downtown Seattle hotel room, Dr. Gil Mobley pulled out a sterile field surgery kit, snapped on latex gloves and pulled a mask over his face. He carefully arranged his medical instruments, grabbed tweezers and went to work. Mobley, 60, wasn't performing hotel-room surgery. He and fellow medical-marijuana activist Brian Stone were carefully preparing two ounces of Blazin's Grapefruit purchased that morning from Uncle Ike's Pot Shop in Seattle's Central District. The pot cost more than $700. [continues 1492 words]
Marijuana Businesses Already Operating and Those in the Permitting Process Before the Vote Are Mostly Unaffected. EVERETT - The Snohomish County Council on Wednesday voted 4-1 to ban new pot businesses in certain rural areas. The decision comes after nine months of public testimony from green-clad marijuana business supporters and neighbors opposed to their operations moving in nearby. The council essentially made permanent a moratorium that was first enacted last fall in response to resident concerns. The ban applies to new recreational marijuana businesses in so-called R-5 zones, rural areas where the county typically allows only one house per five acres. [continues 580 words]
Howard Wooldridge, a Washington lobbyist, is a former detective and forever Texan on an important mission: trying to persuade the 535 members of Congress to end the federal war on marijuana. Liberals tend to be an easier sell than conservatives. With liberals, Wooldridge dwells on the grossly racist way the war on drugs has been prosecuted. "The war on drugs," he tells them, "has been the most immoral policy since slavery and Jim Crow." Conservatives hear a different argument, but one that Wooldridge holds every bit as dear: "Give it back to the states." [continues 514 words]
When deciding what you think about marijuana legalization, it's important to ask, "What's in it for me?" The most recent Pew Research Center poll shows that a majority of Americans nationwide, 53 percent, now support the legalization of cannabis. I'm actually surprised it's that low, but then again, I'm a marijuana columnist. But here is the most interesting stat from that poll: Of those surveyed who now support legalization but changed their minds on the issue (40 percent of the 53 percent), the main reason for the shift was self-interest. "The more that people learn about marijuana and look at the benefits of legalization," noted Tom Angell, Chairman of the Marijuana Policy Project, "the more likely they are to support reform." [continues 759 words]
Inside Washington
