A bill to decriminalize marijuana just got voted out of the state senate’s judiciary committee. What’s amazing is that one of the Republicans on the committee—Bob McCaslin from deep Eastern Washington—voted for it. But one of the Democrats—Jim Hargrove from the distant tip of the Olympic Peninsula—opposed the measure. The judiciary committee has historically been a place where progressive bills get held up by conservative Democrats. But decriminalizing pot, which would save the state $7.5 million dollars a year, isn’t as wacky an idea as it used to be—even to a Republican. The bill now heads to the senate rules committee.
Pot Bill Advances
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It’s not the decriminalization.
It’s the massively increased tax revenues from selling it at WSLCB locations and the fact that our WA dollars won’t be flowing north to Canada.
Think about the math.
Then realize why the Socialist Republicans hate it – because they’re getting rich off of factory prisons which provide cheap labor.
Will you are an idiot.
Riiight. Just like everyone thought when they decriminalized alcohol that it would be free and untaxed.
Wake up and smell reality.
I don’t have any data to back this up, but I would guess that cost of growing pot plus the tax to profit on it is less than the cost of growing it plus the markup due to the legal risk people take to produce/distribute it.
@4: On the downside, if it’s sold through the WSLCB, it won’t be as convenient to buy.
@3 I’m not sure exactly what you think you’re talking about, Will. It would only decriminalize marijuana possession, not legalize it.
The Republicans must have done something to promote that potbill.
$7.5 million dollars a year in savings doesn’t sound like it is enough, though counties which have the burden of prosecution, courts, police and jails would see the most savings. Satterburg, the King County DA, says that 40% of their caseload involves possession of less than 40 grams. If those cases were to go away it would save King County many tens of million dollars.
Does this mean it will be easier for me to find?
This on the same day they confiscated a ton of BC Bud at the border hidden under manure.
Dominic: Once again your profound misunderstanding of the way the law works in this country is astounding. Jesus, did you even graduate high school? Try writing a post when you ARE NOT high.
@10, why the petulant hissy-fit? What am I missing?
Bottom line – the majority of the people in WA, especially Eastern WA, have been or are tokers.
Once again, Strangers, thank you for ignoring the collapse of HB1410/SB5444- basic education restucturing- yesterday and it’s implications on FORTY FUCKING percent of the state budget in your zeal to cover the latest in Pot Newz. Well done.
Hey, Big Sven @ 13) Rather than post snide comments directed at me–including the two you posted in an earlier thread–you may have more luck by sending me an email. I don’t normally cover education funding, but I might look into it you think there’s something worth checking out. Please stop being an asshole.
Decriminalizing marijuana will put it on par with alcohol. Alcohol has not been legalized, it is simply decriminalized. Try giving it to a 13 year old in front of a police officer if you think it’s been legalized. There’s still restrictions on it, and there likely would be similar restrictions on marijuana. It’s not a bad idea, and the tax revenues generated on America’s largest crop could produce a good stream of funding to state budgets.
Dom- I’m being a snide asshole? Do you read how people normally comment to ECB and Mudede posts?!? If you as a paper are going to cover the legislative session, COVER IT. Not just the parts the matter to you personally. Some of us actually look to the Stranger for news. And a discussion of what the Stranger should and shouldn’t cover is a topic of public interest.
@15: You are well intentioned, but I don’t think you are correct in this case. The bill “decriminalizes” cannabis possession, but it does nothing to allow for legal avenues of production and distribution. You won’t get a $100 fine just for carrying a bottle of alcohol down the street unless you are drinking out of it. Alcohol is legal-but-restricted; cannabis would be illegal-but-not-criminal.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/2597…
270 million, just in the stuff being grown that they caught
actual sales would presumably be much higher.
now say the street price for an eigth of an ounce was $40. actual production/shipping/packaging/distribution of such an amount would be less than a dollar, put a $19 dollar tax on it, and using the already existent state liquor stores for distribution, we could see easily a half billion or more in pure tax gain. not to mention the savings in police/court/prison costs
somehow i doubt this was an option to plug into gregoire’s little “fix the budget” application
“but what about the children”
they’ll just have to cope with the fact it’ll be a lot harder to for them to get pot since their relatively small market won’t be enough to support the current network of dealers who don’t check id when they make a sale
@5 – the point of selling it through the WSLCB is many-fold:
1. increased revenue
2. if only permitted for medical marijuana, then it’s easy to check licenses there
3. avoids selling pot to minors and makes it easy to jail dealers who sell pot to minors
4. drugs should be sold in the same place (alcohol, breath mints, etc)