Have you guys watched Marijuana USA:

http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/CNBC_O…

A lot of it is set in Colorado where they took the 2009 Obama edict to not prosecute possession cases seriously and took it as a free pass to building a Pot Industry.

There are many in the documentary who refer to retailing pot as the "next Internet".

They may be right...

Lord knows we need some new types of business...

I am planning on voting for I-502 AND Inslee ... While I am disappointed in his decision ... I am at least happy that he made a decision and is not waffling back and forth on the issue (i.e. undecided)

There are so many more important things this election ... Women's rights (to basic health care, etc ...), stopping the GObstructionistP, Equal Marriage Rights, etc ... that Inslee DOES support.

I'm so sick of right-wing democrats as governor. Any thoughts on whether we should just vote against Inslee, so we have a chance for a progressive governor in 4 years?

@ 3 Are you kidding me right wing? Opposing pot does not make him right wing, you can call him a centrist but not a right winger. As the poster above you said Inslee does support a lot of progressive causes.

@4: Rule of law "for the children" attitudes are pretty conservative, no matter whether you're a Clinton or not.

I am so fucking tired of marijuana politics.

What a loose butthole

"Inslee didn't have to support I-502.
He didn't have to oppose it either.
He could have been undecided."

Weigh benefit of the doubt to favor Inslee.
Getting the votes may require his decision.

Chris Gregoire is the state's worst democrat in name only DINO. Whoever agrees with her highway tunnel department chums is misled or wrong-headed.

I suspect that the public and media would've forced Inslee to pick a side sooner or later, given how contentious that initiative fight is bound to be. Better that he picks one now, when it's not such a big deal.

As for coming out against...if he publicly supports it, the Rs can destroy him with that. So far, all he has simply announced he will vote against it, correct? If so, it doesn't strike me as that big of a deal. If he starts actively campaigning against I-502, then I'll be annoyed with him.

Just so you guys know, California is out re; legalization this year. So I-502 actually is kind of a big deal.

http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2012…

Having to vote for Inslee gets more distasteful all the time.

I'm confused about how the state liquor board will sell marijuana when all of their stores will be privatized by the time said initiative can even come to a vote.

Ah, vote against the moderate liberal this year so that in four years, we can have a Republican incumbent who sat through a national economic recovery. That's four years of a governor who doesn't support legalizing your marijuana either, by the way.

Fucking brilliant.

Are you kidding me? You're holding Inslee's feet to the fire for this? By your own reporting, you've shown that this would be the MOST progressive marijuana law in the country. Inslee is running for governor in quite an ideologically divided state. Why would he take a position other than status quo on a controversial issue when he needs to be doing some campaign catch up? How ridiculous and immature an expectation to hold.

Poor showing Mr. Holden.

@15, based on current polling, yes on 502 IS the status-quo.

@17: But how many of those Yes on 502 votes are going to reject Inslee over this?

@17 I don't think you understand what status quo means.

Hmmm...just a like a president who comes out against gay marriage but yet is still a fan favorite of the LGBT community.

Progressives should learn something from the tea partiers. Do not support politicians that 1) lie to you 2) act against issues that are important to you.

Like someone said...Inslee's calculus is similar to how Dem politicians treat LGBT's --- "who else are they going to vote for?"

Lefties fall for this trick all the time.

Would McKenna be any better? I also ask because politics is always about the alternatives. I can say it's a factor in who I will or won't vote for, if I have a problem voting for a president who said OF COURSE I INHALED THAT WAS THE POINT and continues to use his department to harass users I'll have a problem with this guy. I wish him and McKenna would get into a debate about it with a 3rd candidate who is for it, I'd really love to see how they justify the continuing of using public resources to lock behind bars people who's only crime is smoking a plant, and how much is going to be enough to stop this drug they care so much about regulating in the most violent of ways. What are their positions on "medical" pot? Consider that issue enough of a tell for them having a change of heart near the end of their last term, if you think pot has some medical benefit and you're willing to sell it to sick people it's not going to be possible to stop.

I found one quote from him and I think it's really telling, "Jay Inslee says we need to "get the federal government off our backs," when it comes to medical marijuana". He's more of an ally on this issue than McKenna, you won't be voting for a perfect candidate on this issue but even his "I'm not there yet on pot legalization" is such a non-committal committal. Imagine one of those tea party people paying something like this about their taxes, "I'm not there yet on raising taxes", pretty much everyone in their political circle would believe they want to raise taxes. I believe Inslee wants to control marijuana differently in this state while McKenna wants to end it, to Inslee that doesn't mean selling pot right next to the alcohol containers just yet, to McKenna the person walking near the alcohol containers with a little bit of marijuana should go to jail for mandatory minimum sentences because it's a drug more dangerous than heroin. I know what direction I want this state to go into and I will not let perfect be the enemy of the good.

You make an amazing point still, but Inslee has everything to lose supporting this 2000%, imagine him losing 5% of that 30% because of this issue (most of who would then vote for McKenna), considering the races in this state historically he would lose, and he's got very little to gain, there won't be very many people who say they won't be with Inslee on this HE'S EVEN GOING TO GET THE SUPPORT OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA ESTABLISHMENTS and the people who do will not vote for McKenna if you paid them. Politically this was a smart move, seemingly, it's time to take that medicine with a spoon full of sugar huh? hahahaha