A woman with a good head on her shoulders. Now if we can just get a majority of politicians to think so clearly on this subject, we'd actually make some positive changes in this world.

Vote for politicians who support ending prohibition!

Good for you, Ms. Dickerson!

I haven't consumed any illegal substances in the last 30 years, and I *strongly* support legalization, regulation and taxation!

Yes! I've thought for a long time that making criminals of people who smoke pot was wrong and a waste of our taxpayer dollars.

The prohibition of alcohol resulted in increased crime and violence just as it has with marijuana. It is time to repeal this prohibition as well and to redirect our tax dollars to more productive things such as Rep. Dickerson suggests.

Yeah, what they're doing now isn't working.
Plus the fact legalization would keep those using it medically from being persecuted, as well. Hooray, Rep Dickerson!!!!!!

*facepalm* "de-criminalize" is the better term. Not even alcohol is fully legal. Anyway, yes.

Sounds good. Does it take a recession to knock sense into people?

Well as long as the D.O.J. stands true to their order then this looks good on paper. But as long as it remains on the federal books as illegal then it doesn't matter if Washington, Oregon or any other state legalizes marijuana. It is a states rights vs. federal rule.

As far as I understand it, Obama has said that the Fed will no longer prosecute or intervene, effectively leaving it open to the states to decide. The Fed laws will soon change to, I reckon.

not to nitpick, but wasn't that just for medical marijuana usage?

Yeah, but their prosecuting for medical usage. They shouldn't be. Whatever happens from his will be a step forward.

The first steps to getting the federal laws marijuana laws changed will be local communities changing their laws to reflect the desires of their citizens. So Rep. Dickerson's well reasoned argument is a useful part of the process to get a new marijuana policy locally and eventually nationwide. And Obama's relaxation of the prosecution of medical marijuana is also a helpful, realistic step.

Prohibition of something many citizens want doesn't work, period. This should've been a lesson we took away from the failure of the Volstead Act, wishfully called "The Noble Experiment." A misguided prohibition weakens the legitimacy of a democratically elected government and squanders resources that are needed elsewhere in society.

Yea for common sense!!!!

I'm called the crab for a reason! Do you want more impaired people driving on the streets you travel? Aren't we paying a price with alcohol impairment? Also what about the safety of your person and property? A 'user' has to be able to afford to purchase the stuff! Maybe you will be 'high' and won't even notice! Good luck.........

please go crawl back under your rock where you hide your head in the sand!

The impaired driving is a legitimate concern, but somewhat overblown in regards to marijuana. I would assume that if the use and possession of small amounts was decriminalized that the DUI laws would still apply as impaired driving is impaired driving whether it's alcohol, pot, meth, or prescription pills.
Pot smokers are hardly the ones who steal to pay for marijuana. The more addictive drugs like meth and heroin do take over people's lives and bring them to that position of stealing to support the addiction, but marijuana is at most habit forming and hardly the addictive substance that the other drugs mentioned are.

Exactly. If they regulate it like they do alcohol that wont be any more of a problem than it is now. It'll just be a 'lesser crime.'

Haha, they are going to do it either way. You obviously don't smoke marijuana. Pull the wool over your eyes, sheep. Alcohol impairment is extremely worse, and if the south would jump on the band wagon, maybe we could stop the smuggling of marijuana from south of the boarder, funding the mexican mafia and other organized crime, take the money out of the hands of organized crime. Legalization, it will help in more ways than one. There is a lot of kind people who smoke marijuana, people from every walk of life.

For the record, hempfest as an example. If it was a gathering of people getting drunk there woulda been a lot more problems. On the way in the door we had people screaming we were going to hell, while he probably goes home and indulges on alcoholic beverages.

I've known a lot more people die directly attributed to alcohol, only people that die in results of marijuana would be the organized crime as I mentioned earlier.

In society today adults have to make millions of important decisions, a lot of which can have a drastic effect on their lives, even death. We are responsible for our choices, and we suffer and prosper from our choices, it’s what makes each individual who they ultimately become. This is called freedom of choice, ownership of ones self. We are legally allowed to make these choices everyday, including many that can be instantly fatal such as riding recreational dirt bikes for the thrill of it, even though it could cost us our lives, its our choice to make.

By trying to force people into not consuming a natural plant we are effectively causing more harm than if we were to let each adult make their own choices and except the consequences for those choices. The harm prohibition has brought to not just our own country, but the vast majority of the world is on a remarkably large scale, and threatens our national security. By choosing to prohibit this substance, we have chosen to ignore it and to let it be controlled by the black market. This in turn has enriched criminal enterprises to the point they have the financial power to compete with their own governments on a military bases as seen in Mexico. This is a national security threat. Marijuana is less harmful than alcohol, and the majority of citizens know this, this in turn creates disrespect for law enforcement thereby furthering the deterioration of our community as a whole. It is inhumane to lock a person in a cage and take away their belongings they worked for when they did nothing to harm any other individual or society. Current marijuana laws are a civil rights nightmare waiting to happen, and only makes marijuana readily available to anyone of any age. The laws are obviously bad, expensive and unyielding in accomplishments. We spend billions each year to try and stop marijuana consumption, and yet the DEA admits they would be surprised if they are even getting 1% of the drugs being transported. That’s a bad investment, and the majorities do not agree with it, and there is no justification for making marijuana illegal in the first place.

Prohibition is bad for our kids as they have complete access to it as long as its being controlled by the black market, what we need is control and regulation to minimize the exposure of drugs to young children. As long as it is illegal or decriminalized there will be a black market selling it at a marked up value because of risk, and all the harm will continue.

By legalizing marijuana we are effectively controlling its distribution, and can much better regulate its use by age limits.

Simply put, it’s a real no brainer and it will eventually happen, so if it’s not working now, and has the potential to be better why would we stay put?

Let’s not continue to turn regular tax paying citizens into tax burdens for the rest of us,
there comes a time when you have to realize a bad investment is a bad investment.

Please help us do the right thing, listen to the people of California who have bravely stood up for a positive change in our society, drugs may not bee good for us, but prohibition has proven far worse.

Hooray for Rep. Dickerson!

Great job. I'm 100% behind you.

Great post, Cathy!

It seems obvious to me that marijuana will eventually be decriminalized, I just hope it's sooner rather than later. Every day we wait is more money and lives down the drain, and more money in criminal's pockets.

It seems to me from the comments here and from friends and family in Seattle that I've discussed this with that there would be overwhelming support for decriminalization if it were on the ballot.

We need more politicians with this much common sense.

Legal pot shops and bike lanes, now there's another thing to add to be more Dutch-like..
..no, I'm not talking about the canals..

yes! and windmills, too! let's not forget those cute wooden shoes either.

What a smart woman! Finally someone who uses rationale thinking to make decisions! I which she was my representative here in Virginia!

I am apalled...legalizing marijuana is not he answer to saving money...Mary Lou also wants homeless camps all over Ballard, but won't take any in her own home...I think shge wamts to legalize it so she can continue pickling her own brain.

As they say in Holland, you can either tolerate things that you don't like (assuming no one gets hurt), or you can build more prisons. In the US we've chosen to build more prisons. This choice costs us billions of dollars a year in enforcement, judiciary, not to mention private legal expenses. It is insane how much of our resources we devote to criminalization of marijuana.

The fact is that people will use marijuana whether it's legal or not. Our current policies have been nothing short of a failure. We pay through the nose for these policies in terms of monetary costs, not to mention the cost to our freedom as informed adults not being able to make informed decisions.

Even if the federal law would trump state law in this case, I applaud Rep. Dickerson for approaching what is a rather controversial issue. Getting the conversation going is the first step, and if states begin to decriminalize marijuana en masse, the federal government will eventually have to relent.

Valid medicinal value, it’s a victimless crime, the War on Drugs WAY too costly, too many arrests for simple possession, tax it and use the money to pay for health insurance and to reduce the deficit…Need I say more?

Woodstock Universe supports legalization of Marijuana.

Add vote in our poll about legalization at http://www.woodstockuniverse.com.

Current poll results…97% for legalization, 3% against.

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Whooo hoooo, when ever I’m sitting around having a toke, all I think is "if they just taxed me, they could put people on Mars with the money".

Mars? I bet you could get people on Uranus if you smoked the right stuff.

It's good to see Rep. Dickerson endorsing what health professionals and criminal justice experts have recommended. However, there is a well financed opposition to decriminalization of marijuana, and it's not the criminal distribution networks. It is the industrialized prison system. People incarcerated for cannibis violations make docile workers in the slave system in many prisons, and the for profit system uses its Puritanical work validation to justify scooping them up. As taxpayers and family members, we subsidize this system. Time to stop building prisons, an expensive non-solution to social and health problems.

"People incarcerated for cannibis violations make docile workers in the slave system in many prisons, and the for profit system uses its Puritanical work validation to justify scooping them up"

Dude, you are a walking case study for how smoking pot can fry your ability to think straight. I'm all for decriminalization, but dude, it ain't a conspiracy.

No, it's not a conspiracy. It's a Political Action Committee.

Mary Lou, it is your wonderful pragmatism that makes me so glad you represent me. Keep up the good fight for sanity in the nation's drug policies.

It's far past time to stop demonizing Americans who seek to expand their consciousness and grow and imbibe their own medicines.

Fight the good fight Rep Dickerson!

How on Earth does Rep. Dickerson hope to sustain a career in politics when she insists on using good common sense, a practical approach to our inane drug policy and listening to her constituents?

She got my vote.

It is the stigma that scares many people who use smoking pipes to keep it a secret. One of the problems inhibiting legalization is that people who smoke a glass pipe are not considered serious or mature. It is the public to make our choices known and to make sure our voices are heard. With the economy the way it is today this is the best chance to change the law. Send a letter make, send an email make a phone call, every hand written Letter that makes it to a representative is considered to be the voice of thousands of people who did not take the time to write and that is a power we all have.
Sunflowerpipes.com

I've never been so happy to see one of MY elected reps doing their job!

I applaud M. Dickersons progressive and realistic stance regarding the social and economic repercussions of marijuana prohibition. I would suggest, however, that there are broader implications related to this situation. While the primary focus of this bill relates to the legalization of a recreational drug, I feel that it is imperative to further consider the utilization of marijuana's cousin strain - hemp.

While reversing the nonsensical marijuana laws is certainly a step in the right direction, I believe that when facing the stereotypes and stigmas of marijuana, it is important to bring all pertinent and beneficial facts to the table.

I would encourage M. Dickerson or her staff to take the opportunity to read "The Emperor Wears No Clothes" by Jack Herer, which is an exhaustive expose' of the history and potential of not only marijuana, but hemp. While many individuals may continue to stonewall any honest and open discussion based on a Reefer Madness mentality, the undeniable facts of the benefits of the cultivation of hemp cannot be denied - and because hemp is not a psychoactive drug, the "What about the Children?" defense becomes a mute point.

http://www.jackherer.com/chapters.html

I wish you the best of luck in your efforts.

Sincerely,

S. Osweiler

I will be voting on this bill. Young Voter Approved!!!
Thank you Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson!

I'd much rather we all keep paying tons of tax money to incarcerate individuals who've harmed no one.

"And what have we accomplished with these societal, personal, and family costs? I don’t see the positive benefits."

Ever been to Amsterdam? There's no need for what you propose... anyone who wants to smoke dope in WA can & does. Law enforcement seldom targets anything but the largest operation. It's just another step towards the Amsterdam model. Go ahead and make Seattle a sister city to them, but keep the rest of the state out of your inaneness.

Dear Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson ,

I am so happy to hear that you are sponsering this bill. I am a councilwoman in Chewelah WA. I have been fighting a huge battle in trying to get my baby granddaughter home with her sibling and me since she had to leave on January 21, 2009. I was accused of using MJ 30 years ago! So many accusations were coming at me, I could not respond. A psych eval was ordered that could have taken my oldest custodial granddaughter of 10 years; yes, I had to surrender the baby to save the other child as she was in my care as a foster child. Social services finally agreed this was rediculous and tried to bring her back home, CASA objected and held an all day hearing, stating again that I had used MJ all these years ago; the judge stating that I was responsible for my 31 year old daughter's drug abuse. I was involved in the signing of the Becca Bill in the 1990's. This is all wrong. CASA won and by hiring my prior divorce attorney from 1995! I have filed a grievance against this attorney. CASA worker admitted to having 2 prior arrests; my prior divorce attorney has been admonished in the past for wrongful conduct, yet I cannot have my baby granddaughter home with her sibling and me. I asked for 2 weeks to obtain counsel before surrendering my baby granddaughter, per foster agreement, and was denied. My foster agreement stated that I be allowed 2 weeks. I was put in a locked room, accused of MJ use all those years ago and do not have my baby granddaugher today; her sibling is so sad, has developed asthma from the stress of not having her sister. Baby's crib is still set up as is her high chair. All because an alleged ex, deceased husband of 20 years, may have used MJ. Now our child is in a foster to adopt home. The CAPTA bill will pay the state to adopt her even though I am a licensed foster parent; have owned my home for 5 years and served on my city counsel. I have a flawless background, no complaints with my other granddaughter of 10 years. All because of false allegations that I used MJ 30 years ago! If you need my story, I will help you any way I can. Thank you for sponsoring this bill. If alcohol were an issue, nearly every child would be taken with exception to a priest. I have lived alone for 16 years, raising my granddaughter for 10 years. My daughter, mom, wrote an explanation as to why she started using drugs. She lost her father in a car accident. I have no legal representation. All resources have been exhausted. I am trying to help others with the same issues; no abuse, no neglect, nothing but allegations. No facts entered into evidence, no witnesses, no expert witnesses. I took my own psych eval and it was good, but the judge did not allow the doctor to interrpret it, instead the judge critiqued it. Stevens County Washington is the most corrupt area as our prosecutor has stated, yet there is no money for a grand jury investigation. Please keep this plight going. Thank you,

I say YES, to this Marijuana. I dont smoke it myself. I smoke cigars, only. Marijuana has been around for a very,very long time. Why not legalis it?! Booze is legal, why not POT??!! To any who read this, check out this website, " WHY IS MARIJUANA ILLEGAL "

everyone I know will vote for this

Like many of us I used to smoke pot as a young person. The main reason was to enjoy its effects. Secondly it was "taboo" and illegal, and quite easy to get. I had a much harder time getting alcohol when I was under 21. Speaking for myself, if I were able to unwind at the end of a stressful day with either a beer(or 12) or a couple of tokes on the old bong, I'm toking. Munchies and restfull sleep after the "burnout" aren't what I'd call a problem. The problem stems from the "Refer Madness" mentality folks have that are against pot being legal. What I fear, is that too many closed minded people will rally and put down any effort to legalize pot. No reasonable person can argue the fact that "pot prohibition" has done nothing but feed black market intrests, wasted countless dollars on enforcing these stupid laws, ruined many peoples lives with lengthy jail sentences for posessing/cultivating a naturally occoring plant. Lets quit flushing BILLIONS of dollars down the crapper trying to enforce these lame laws. Lets stop the flow of BILLIONS of dollars out of this country and into the pockets of drug czars in South America. Lets start using those BILLIONS of dollars to help our own right here in the "Good Old USA." Infrastructure, school programs, helping the hungry and so many other issues that cry for funds and have little or none to access could do some REAL GOOD. Peace be with you all.