Sensible Washington, a group that ran a marijuana initiative last year that failed to make the ballot, will take another stab at a full-scale pot legalization measure this year. Douglas Hiatt, the group’s director, says the initiative would repeal all state penalties for cannabis (possession, cultivation, sales, etc.) like the group’s previous initiative. However, the new initiative, to be filed with the Washington Secretary of State’s office today at 2:00 p.m., would include a new provision directing the state legislature to adopt regulations and possibly taxes for marijuana.
Hiatt says the initiative doesn’t attempt to create a specific regulatory model because the group believes it would violate state rules requiring initiatives to stick to a single subject.
This falls on the heels of news that State Representative Mary Lou Dickerson (D-36, Queen Anne and Ballard) is sponsoring a bill to tax pot and sell it in state liquor stores.
Questions for anyone that knows…
1. Didn’t they file the last one really late and get a slow start?
2. If #1 is right (my memory is hazy) what are they doing to overcome that problem?
3. Are they going to pro-actively solicit endorsements ahead of time?
4. Are they going to send out initiative sheets via The Stranger again, and if so, before the last freaking minute??
What Joe said.
Hint – use the first round of initiatives to get volunteers, funding, and track who actually turns in signed ones.
Also – lots of unemployed people – give em fancy titles and set them loose.
On behalf of the NRA, I endorse this.
I was going to campaign for legalization, but I quit smoking weed. Now I think anyone who does is going to hell, and should be raped in prison.
@3 yeah, but then they can pay taxes for you and you’ll have less going to prisons in rural counties and more going to dive bars in Belltown, Max.
SO it is my understanding the there exist a cannabis association in Washington state that has been collecting money from members and trying to influence SB 5073. This is great! Except. It has come to my attention that the folks behind the WCA (below is info I found about the group)
“News flash from CDC about the list…oh my word.
Who comprises the Washington Cannabis Association has been very unclear. The WCA was created by activist attorney and Sensible Washington founder Douglas Hiatt in October. The group hired the volunteer Sensible Washington director Ezra Eickmeyer for $5000 per month starting in October, and hired the volunteer Sensible Washington media director Phillip Dawdy in November. Dawdy announced the group to the Seattle Weekly, claiming it was comprised of “two to three dozen business.” Weeks later, Dawdy scaled that number back, telling the Associated Press it consisted of “about two dozen” businesses. According to the public records WCA is required to file, both of these number are inflated, and the WCA was actually comprised of ten members who could afford the $5000 entry fee. See:
* http://cdc.coop/docs/wca_eickmeyer_regis… “
are Douglas Hiatt, Phillip Dawdy, and Ezra Eickmeyer.
I do not know these gentlemen but I am greatly concerned that they would be trying to speak for and have an input on medical marijuana legislation WHILE at the same time sponsoring an initiative that would do away with everything SB 5073 creates and frankly the entire medical marijuana industry/community in Washington state.
Should this group be allowed to affect a state law they are actively trying to make null and void? Seems like a huge conflict of interest?
As a patient this greatly concerns me…… Could you look into this Dominic. I know you have some connections in the marijuana community. lol.