In 1923, Washington state passed a racially-based law prohibiting marijuana. Many other states passed similar laws, all intent on driving Mexicans out of our country. It was absurd to think that all Mexicans smoke pot for one, and two, to think that would force them to move back to their “native” lands. There have been drives to make marijuana legal ever since then.
In November 1998, Initiative 692, legalizing medical marijuana for certain medical patients with a doctor’s authorization was passed overwhelmingly by Washington state voters. Currently, there are 13 states that have passed similar laws and more are considering such legislation.
In September 2003, Seattle voters passed I-75, a marijuana prioritization law that set police enforcement of adult offenses to the lowest level. Gil Kerlikowske, the Seattle police chief, made this mandate police department policy and he made it clear that going after people for possessing marijuana was not a priority for his force.
On March 12, 2009, President Obama selected Gil Kerlikowske to head the Office of National Drug Policy. This position is more commonly known as the “Drug Czar.”
Kerlikowske will take with him experience as police chief of Seattle and continue the low-priority classification of medical marijuana.
On March 13, 2009, Time did a story on legislation currently in the houses of California and Oregon looking to pass legalization, regulation and taxation of marijuana.
Washington currently has a bill on the floor, HB-1177, to reclassify possession of 40 grams or less to a Class 2 civil infraction, down from a misdemeanor.
On March 18, 2009, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced that states should be able to make their own rules for medical marijuana and that federal raids on pot dispensaries would cease. The move signaled a softening of the hardline approach to medicinal pot use previous administrations have taken.
Kitsap County has had two high-profile medical marijuana cases in the past six months. On Marxch 31, Bruce Olson was acquitted by a jury of 12 of his peers.
Last September, Robert Dalton was not so lucky, being found guilty by Judge Anna M. Laurie.
She reasoned he was not a qualifying patient and could take opiate-based painkillers instead, even though Dalton said opiates made him sick.
I personally find it offensive that Laurie ignored a medical doctor’s opinion and declared by her verdict that she knew medicine and treatment better than a doctor and his patient.
Our country spends more money on building prisons than on building schools. One out of every 100 U.S. citizens is in a jail or a prison. That’s 3 million people, folks.
And many of those are for, you guessed it, marijuana offenses.
One thing history teaches us — prohibition proved you can’t legislate morality. People are going to do what they want to do.
We might as well legalize, regulate and tax marijuana.
With our economy in shambles and our state and county running enormous deficits, why are our elected leaders wasting taxpayers’ money prosecuting and incarcerating people that we, with our votes, made legal?
Renegade judges and prosecutors who choose to go against the public’s will should be recalled and removed from office.
Judge Anna M. Laurie and Prosecutor Russ Hauge must be shown the door. Let’s put some responsible people in their place who reflect the public’s will.
GREG JABLONSKI
Bremerton
