The Washington Initiative 502 I-502 "on marijuana reform" is an initiative for the Washington State Legislature, which appears at the general ballot in November 2012, by a margin of 56 up to 44 percent. Originally submitted to Washington's Secretary of State during the summer of 2011, the signatures were adequately collected and submitted in December to meet the required 241.153 signatures, sending them to the legislature. When the legislature was postponed without action in April, Initiative 502 automatically advanced to the general ballot in November 2012. It was approved by voting on November 6, and went into effect for one year, beginning with certification no later than December 6, 2012. Along with the same Colorado size, Initiative 502 is credited for encouraging 81% voter turnout, the highest in the country.
Initiative 502 establishes and legalizes small amounts of cannabis-related products for adults aged 21 years and over, levies taxes and sets income for health care and prevention of substance abuse and education. As noted in RCW 69.50.101, hemp is still classified as a schedule I control under federal law and is subject to federal prosecution under the doctrine of double sovereignty. Ownership by anyone younger than 21, has a larger amount, and the development of unlicensed or unregulated marijuana remains illegal under state law.
Video Washington Initiative 502
Summary of votes
As described by the office of the Secretary of State, the law must "license and regulate the production of cannabis, distribution and ownership for persons over twenty-one, to remove state penalties and civil penalties for their legal activities; sale of marijuana, and allocate revenues related to marijuana. "
This move eliminates state-legal bans on the production, processing and sale of marijuana, subject to licenses and regulations by liquor control boards; allow the limited possession of marijuana by persons aged twenty-one years and above; and impose a 25% excise tax on wholesale and retail sales of cannabis, allocating revenues for purposes that include prevention, research, education, and health care. Laws that prohibit driving under influence will be changed to include a maximum threshold for THC blood concentrations.
Maps Washington Initiative 502
Terms
Once approved, Initiative 502 implements for a year or more. The legal authority and DUI limits come into effect on December 9, 2012, and countries have until December 1, 2013, to establish other key rules. Until rules are set and licenses are issued, retail sales to the general public are not allowed. Such businesses should be located 1,000 feet or farther from public schools, and the general use of marijuana is a civil offense.
The initiative legalizes the use of marijuana products for adults 21 and over and focuses law enforcement resources on DUI prosecution as well as property crimes and crimes. Personal "grown" at home alone, except for medical marijuana as set forth in RCW 69.51A, will remain illegal.
Part I identifies the objectives of the initiative and authorizes the Washington State Liquor Control Board "to regulate and impose marijuana taxes for people aged twenty-one and above, and adds a new threshold for driving under the influence of marijuana."
Part II sets various definitions, including those that differentiate "marijuana" from hemp and other parts of cannabis plants based on THC content.
Part III establishes a licensing system for marijuana producers, processors, and retailers. The initial license is $ 250 with an annual renewal fee of $ 1000. The rules prohibit manufacturers and processors from having a financial interest in retailers, such as a three-tier system for liquor in control countries. This section also explains that selling or distributing unlicensed marijuana remains illegal, setting limits on the maximum amount a person may have. Adults 21 years of age or older can have "one ounce of usable marijuana", 16 ounces of dope-infused products in solid form, 72 ounces of cannabis-infusion products in liquid or "any combination" of the three. This section also authorizes Liquor Enforcement Officers of the Washington State Liquor Supervisory Board to enforce RCW 69.50, Uniform Controlled Substance Act. Previously, Liquor Enforcement Officer was only able to enforce the law of alcohol and tobacco.
Section IV establishes "special cannabis" funds for all revenues received by the liquor board, and explicitly takes into account the surplus of this new income for health care (55%), drug and education drug treatment (25%), with 1% for marijuana-related research at the University of Washington and Washington State University, most of the rest go into state general funds. Analysis of March 2012 by the State Financial Management Office estimates annual revenues above $ 560 million for the first year, rising thereafter. The February 2011 analysis of Washington House Bill 1550 predicted an austerity of state and county law enforcement of about $ 22 million. Official Official Analysis OFM does not include law enforcement savings, but estimates a five-year income of approximately $ 1.9 billion of the assumed retail price of $ 12 per gram. Proponents of I-502 have posted pie charts that show the annual feature of the dollar per goal, based on this projection.
Part V on "driving under the influence of marijuana" sets the DUI limit per se from the THC "delta-9" level of more than or equal to 5 nanograms per milliliter of blood (5 ng/mL). Some medical marijuana advocates are worried that this will lead to DUI beliefs for medical marijuana users, who drive with THC blood levels greater than or equal to 5 nanograms per milliliter. "THC-COOH metabolites, also known as carboxy-THC" are explicitly excluded from consideration.
Sponsors
The listed sponsors for the action include John McKay, former US Attorney for the Western District of Washington; Seattle City Lawyer Pete Holmes; Kim Marie Thorburn, M.D. and M.P.H., former director of Spokane Regional Health District; and travel writer Rick Steves.
Other sponsors include state representatives for District 36 Mary Lou Dickerson; soon past president of Bar Association Washington State Salvador A. Mungia; former president of Bar Association of Washington State Mark Johnson; Robert W. Wood, M.D., former director of the HIV/AIDS Program at the Seattle-King County public health department; Professor of BBC Social Working University emeritus Roger Roffman, D.S.W., and Alison Holcomb, campaign director for New Approach Washington, "borrowed from the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington.
Support and conflict
In accordance with RCW 42.17A on "campaign disclosure and contributions", the Washington State Public Information Commission announces online campaign information, including information for references and initiatives. The statements for and against any ballot size are also available online as part of the official online voter guide. Many groups traditionally expected to take a stand on this issue have been silent, including business, education, law enforcement, and drug treatment organizations.
Support
Initial supporters of the size include Dominic Holden from The Stranger . In September, the Central Washington State Central Committee endorsed I-502 with 75 votes agreeing and 43 against. Eastern Washington's The Spokesman-Review endorsed I-502 from December 2011 as part of a wider call for legalization and reclassification of federal cannabis under the 1970 Controlled Substances Act. Other supporters include various current legislators, organizations, former judges, law enforcement personnel, prosecutors and elected officials such as Jolene Unsoeld. The mayor and the entire city council of Seattle supported I-502, as did the King County sheriff. Former deputy narcotics and King County sheriff candidate John Urquhart, said "the war on drugs has been a humble failure". Noting the disproportionate impact of marijuana capture and detention on families and racial minorities, Child Alliance, NAACP and various African-American pastors have also supported I-502.
The initial national support for this action came from the National Organization for Marijuana Law Reform (NORML) and television evangelist Pat Robertson. Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) also supports the action, including a prominent LEAP spokesperson and former Seattle Norm Stamper police chief and other law enforcement officials. The initiative is also supported by former New Mexico governor, Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson, and Marc-Cery reform advocate.
The main group that supports the I-502 is New Approach Washington, which maintains the latest list of official support on its website. In July 2012, major donations of financial support were provided by the Drug Policy Alliance, Peter Lewis of Progressive Insurance and the American Civil Liberties Union.
The newspapers endorse I-502 in the weeks immediately before the election including The Seattle Times, The Spokesman-Review, The Columbian, The Olympian , and The Wenatchee World .
Opposition
The public and formal opposition is not well organized and mostly comes from medical marijuana supporters, who object to "Part V: Driving Under the Effect of Cannabis". A key spokesperson is Steve Sarich, who is referred to as Esquire's blog as one of the "biggest marijuana ban in 2012." Facebook Group, Patients Against New Approach Washington (PANAW) started vocal opposition. A letter sent to sponsor I-502 by Richard Bayer, MD; attorneys David Arganian and Jeffrey Steinborn; Gil Mobley, MD; Vivian McPeak, Executive Director of Seattle Hempfest; and Ric Smith, who has been a prominent patient advocate since 1996, arguing that the DUIC I-502 language is unnecessary, unscientific, and unfair. Dominic Holden, of The Stranger , disagrees with this criticism, citing the same 2009 study of the 502 referenced National Institutes of Health referenced. The board of directors for NORML recognizes this criticism but argues that the law is a step in the right direction, even with the provisions. At least one NORML blogger labeled those "patients against pragmatism". Some medical marijuana suppliers are also worried that if the initiative becomes law, their growing business can be disrupted.
Other opponents include the Sheriff's Association and the Washington Chief of Police. and Prevention of Substance Abuse and Violence of Washington. Thurston County sheriff John Snaza said Asian gangs and motorcycles are currently controlling the "distribution and sale of marijuana" and the initiative is likely to lead to more traffic and organized crime deaths. Then-then governor Christine Gregoire opposed the I-502, citing concerns about federal opposition.
The two main candidates for governors in 2012 elections also went on record in opposition, with Jay Inslee following Rob McKenna, both citing concerns for medical marijuana users.
Safe Access Washington, "a trade organization on behalf of medical marijuana", briefly formed and opposed I-502 before disbanding. The Washington Sensible Group, a sponsor of previous efforts, failed to be legalized in Washington, also criticized the I-502 in a seven-part series on their web page. On July 31, 2012, Sensible Washington announced its intention to "completely lift the ban" with a new Initiative drive in 2013, regardless of election results I-502, noting in a press release that marijuana would remain a drug Schedule I under I- 502, "which we are uncomfortable and will work to correct." The opposition of Sensible Washington and the others was strong enough that Seattle Hempfest chose not to support or support the action, a decision which a supporter called "dead wrong" and "ridiculous", and that prompted an official of the Seattle Times command to "be real".
Nothing on I-502 is the main group opposed to Initiative 502. Their website denounces what they describe as a "new approach to bans" I-502, and explains how the provisions of DUID I-502 can actually increasing the potential for punishment for marijuana use, and leading to a new era in the drug-fighting war stained by DUID prosecution, as part of what they describe as a national strategy to move the war on drugs from the current focus on sales and ownership to new ones. and more unpleasant attacks on drivers through new DUID laws such as I-502.
The Walla Walla Union-Bulletin is the first newspaper against I-502. It joins the Tri-City Herald .
Results
The last election return shows I-502 graduated with 55.7% of 3,095,444 votes. Soon after this, The Oregonian called on the Oregon legislature to follow it with the same bill, and the incoming Mexican government announced that it would reconsider its previous opposition to legalization. The state agencies assigned to organize a new marijuana business received more than 300 questions the following day. Law enforcement began responding, with the Seattle Police Department issuing guidelines for legal marijuana use in Seattle because prosecutors at King and Pierce county quickly decided to drop all cases of ownership of marijuana, with other non-federal jurisdictions also not emphasizing arrests for less than 40 grams.
Governor Christine Gregoire explicitly met with US Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole to discuss implementation details after part of the measure, and the elected governor Jay Inslee has committed to "fully support protecting, defending and implementing the will of the electorate."
Section 502 drew attention from outside the state, raising comments. President of the International Narcotics Control Council spoke against Initiative 502 as a clear violation of the 1961 Convention on Narcotics Drugs, which urged US officials to strongly oppose the legalization of non-medical marijuana. Former US president Jimmy Carter refers to 502 and the Colorado 64 Amendment in restoring decades of support for decriminalization and legalization, to "let the American people see" how well it works. In his first interview on the issue after the talks, President Barack Obama said that addressing this issue is not a top priority at the moment, that international treaty obligations come into force, but that there is "a bigger fish to fry." In August 2013, the US Department of Justice voted not to prosecute Washington and Colorado over the legalized marijuana and not to prosecute legal marijuana in those countries.
Many gathered to smoke openly in the Space Needle just after midnight on December 6, for violating the law. No arrests were made.
Implementation
I-502 mandates that the rules for producers, processors and retailers exist on December 1, 2013. The Washington Board of Hygiene and Ganja initially had anticipated the proposed section would first be approved in April. The distribution of draft rules for all stakeholders is planned in May, with initial submission of all rules in June, prior to public hearings and adoption of the rules, to begin applying early in September, and begin issuing licenses in December 2013. Several state legislators is reportedly moving to "slow down" the process of making this rule and national opponents Kevin Sabet and Patrick J. Kennedy have started the SAM Project to promote what they call the "smart approach to marijuana."
The initial draft rule was released on May 16, with the public comment period set to expire on June 10, 2013. Public hearings will begin in August for the rule to be effective by September and the first license is expected in December 2013 or next January. Consultants estimate $ 495 million in annual sales among 300 stores in all districts, the highest concentrations being in King, Pierce and Thurston County. The first two dozen retail licenses were issued for July 2014, but delays in licensed manufacturers are anticipated to cause supply problems during this early period.
After $ 67.5 million in sales revenue/excise taxes during the first year of official sales along with changes in the regulatory tax structure to a single 37% retail level, the Estimated Economic and Revenue Board estimates in 2015 that annual cannabis tax revenues will rise several times folding, reaching $ 369 million in fiscal year 2019.
See also
- Law of Washington
- Colorado 64 amendment
- The decriminalization of non-medical marijuana in the United States
- Marijuan legal history in the United States
- Washington Initiative 692 (1998)
- Washington Initiative 1068 (2010)
References
External links
- New Washington Approach, the main organization lobbiing I-502
- Not on I-502, the cannabis reform organization opposing I-502 (not active as of December 2012)
- I-502 In Its Entirety, All initiative on the Washington government website.
- More than 75 Articles and Videos About I-502, Collection of over 75 videos and articles on I-502
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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