Washington: Campaign to Legalize Marijuana Gains Unusual Allies

By Jeff Humphrey, KXLY4 Reporter

SPOKANE -- Organizers for Initiative 1068 are working to get their proposal to have Washington voters decide whether or not the use and possession of marijuana should be legalized on the ballot, and they’re gaining some unusual allies in their fight.

According to Sensible Washington some deputy prosecutors and a judge have signed their petition as apparently at least some people who enforce our drug laws think it may be time to change them.

Right now if you were caught selling or just possessing this much marijuana here in Spokane you could be charged with a felony, but supporters of I-1068 think voters should have a chance to change all that.

“Initiative 1068 would remove criminal and civil penalties for adults who possess marijuana, use, grow,” Renata Rollins with Sensible Washington said.

Selling marijuana would also be legalized and on Monday Renata Rollins had no trouble finding people ready for a change in the law that would ultimately lead to legalizing marijuana use.

Robert Jeffers signed the petition after he was told Washington spent $100 Million prosecuting marijuana crimes just last year.

“Because if you have it inside a business you won't have people looking for it on a street corner or but it illegally from their friends and then you don't have to worry about for one, people breaking the law, going to jail, which results in wasting taxpayers money,” Jeffers said.

The cost of prosecuting marijuana offenders is apparently also a concern for law enforcement, especially when so many people at Spokane’s Public Safety Building are getting laid off.

“We had some unlikely people sign including a couple of county prosecutors here and a federal judge,” Renata said. “What they told me is that it's not worth the time and money, we have better things to be doing.”

However some people were quick to turn down the petition. Ted St. Clair, for example, rejected the proposal because he feels marijuana use leads to other more addictive drugs.

“Families that were broken up, marriages that went down the tube … why legalize something that they have been trying to stamp out for years and years and years?” St. Clair asked.

Under this proposal it would still be illegal to drive under the influence of marijuana or to possess it if you're under the age of 18. The initiative must gather about a quarter million signatures by July. To help with the signature drive organizers plan to be out in force during Spokane's St. Patrick's Day Parade.


Source: http://www.kxly.com/news/22780986/detail.html