Tag Archives: Initiative 502

Driving, Drug Policy, Washington

The genius behind Washington’s marijuana ballot

Alison Holcomb designed I-502 and the state changed the terms

Alison Holcomb of the ACLU used her genius to write I-502, the 2012 ballot which legalized pot in Washington.  She addressed the public’s biggest concerns about accepting the legalization of marijuana, and wrote the ballot to appeal to non-users.  It was a brilliant tactic.  Soon after legalization, the state disregarded many of those terms.

I-502 had safeguards to prevent stoned driving, public smoking of marijuana, home grows and under-age usage.

Yet, passage of I-502 created many new victims. To a strong extent, the 5-nanogram allowance for THC in drivers is not protecting public health and safety.

Continue reading The genius behind Washington’s marijuana ballot →

Medical Marijuana, Washington

Washington’s Marijuana Policies Still Chaotic

“THE world is watching Washington’s historic experiment with marijuana legalization, and we’re screwing it up.”  claimed a recent editorial in the Seattle Times.    “The experiment is undermined by a much larger, wildly unregulated medical-marijuana market.”   The state’s failures shouldn’t be an excuse for inaction in Seattle, the paper said.

The state’s major newspaper is clearly disillusioned with marijuana in Washington, even though it supported Initiative-502 back in 2012.  The editorial implied that the medical and recreational regulation should be integrated, calling the legislature’s failure to do so “abysmal.”  At last,  Seattle’s mayor issued a plan to regulate medical marijuana, but it probably doesn’t have much teeth. Continue reading Washington’s Marijuana Policies Still Chaotic →