Washington State’s citizens have to lead the march to balance our own bills without begging from WA to support us. All of our services are overloaded with these types of repetitious personal choices that hurt no one but the tax payers who have to financially support useless efforts to control a large portion of this country, while allowing a large portion to drink alcohol legally. It is a double standard favoritism toward a drug much worse than marijuana. Many of our politicians, who vote against legalizing marijuana drink like a fish with DUI’s etc. If we tax and sell alcohol and allow it to be legal, marijuana should be taxed and legal as well. Human behavior on alcohol changes much more often to aggressive and violent behavior than marijuana does. It does not take a rocket scientist to notice at a college party the students drinking alcohol would fight, be loud, and totally unreasonable in their decision making processes. Students using Marijuana alone were much more amenable and easier to get along with.

From what I have viewed regarding drugs and other countries, we (US) are ignorant in how we handle personal choices for our citizens. With all the studies that have been paid for, documented, and implemented, we would not have to run any studies of our own. We would only have to gleam the most productive results for from each study already done. We would only have to implement the results, especially since we would know, within reason, what the results will be. People of every country have the same needs, addictions, and problems that stem from personal choices. If some other government has a better outcome we should listen and pay attention. Governing is suppose to be smart leadership, not who has the most control. Our government is ignorant if they do not heed the scientific proof presented to them.

Control issues in our government leaders has lead us down to an old boy attitude. Personal opinion should not dictate what will be the best for the countries future. If selling a marijuana cigarette will pay for fixing our pot holes, sell the cigarette instead of a bottle of Tequila, certainly beer and wine in our grocery stores.

It is about time the politicians representing the citizens govern with common sense. There are more and more laws that take away personal choice. I do not want to pay through taxes to support people put in prison for smoking by people who drink alcohol. That is like saying the addiction to alcohol is allowed, accepted, and legal, only because the people who drink say so. Even the people who drink, and are not addicted, have to see the illogic in that double standard. They have to see there is a way out of this financial crises for our kids and our state while hurting less people than alcohol hurts.

As for people buying marijuana and it being a gateway drug. Alcohol and prescription drugs are experienced before that child ever hears the word marijuana. Get real here, that is not logical either. Children are desensitized to drugs through parents, friends, people and advertisement, how is that marijuana’s fault? If people who smoke marijuana did not have to purchase their drug of choice from the black market (streets) they would not be around harder drugs. I can only imagine a person who would sell drugs would have more than one kind of drug, like a make-up line having a perfume line also. If that person did not have to be in the drug dealers domain they would not be desensitized to the harder drugs as they would not link it so easily as the same no big deal drug like alcohol or marijuana. If a person had to buy alcohol from a drug dealer the person would see and be around much harder drugs, just like the oppressed marijuana smoker. I have read more reports of marijuana helping people in pain, anxiety, and multi-disorders than I have alcohol helping. Where is the common sense in that? Alcohol has killed a lot of people. The reports that marijuana has harmed someone in an accident usually had alcohol involved. If they were on marijuana they would be going to slow to get to hurt, unlike like driving behind alcohol where they have a propensity to drive faster than they would if only on marijuana. How does that compute to the common sense balance? People has to start thinking for themselves and not follow the party line or the church dictatorship.

We have a way to help our economy, our state, become self reliant, why aren’t we doing it?

You think I’m going to agree to this? I don’t even agree with alcohol use. I’ve seen the damages caused by morons who drink too much.

Now we’re going to have idiots like you people out there smoking too much? I don’t think so.

Find your own planet to f**k up.

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,

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.