Calling all washingtonians START PRAYING!!! Legistlature to Vote Today!!!

Sent to me by the Cannabis Defense Coalation

Marijuana bill vote today in Washington State Legislature

Last week, the House Public Safety Committee heard public testimony about HB 1177, which would decriminalize misdemeanor marijuana possession, and HB 2401, which would regulate marijuana like alcohol.


The committee vote on both of these bills is scheduled for today, January 20, at 1:30 p.m. If a bill fails to make it out of committee, it is done for the year.


What: Committee vote on HB 1177 and HB 2401
When: Wednesday, January 20 at 1:30 p.m.
Where: Hearing Room B, John L. O'Brien Building, Capitol Campus
Map: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=367+14th+Ave+SW+98504
More info: http://cdc.coop2010_legislature


At last week's hearing, HB 2401 co-sponsor Rep. Roger Goodman indicated a desire to amend that bill to allow for home cultivation for personal and medical use. Rep. Kirk Pearson made several negative comments about President Obama's own administration saying marijuana is dangerous. Rep. Brad Klippert asked a question about the American Medical Association, reading off a list of health organizations that "reject smoked marijuana as medicine." And Rep. Charles Ross asked a number of questions that seemed to indicate his support.


Committee members:


Chris Hurst (D) Chair - 360-786-7866 - [email protected]
Al O'Brien (D) Vice-chair - 360-786-7928 - [email protected]
Kirk Pearson (R) - 360-786-7816 - [email protected]
Brad Klippert (R) - 360-786-7882 - [email protected]
Steve Kirby (D) - 360-786-7996 - [email protected]
Charles Ross (R) - 360-786-7856 - [email protected]
Sherry Appleton (D) Co-sponsor - 360-786-7934 - [email protected]
Roger Goodman (D) Co-sponsor - 360-786-7878 - [email protected]


Please speak up and share your opinion with these people.

I won't pray but I sure hope it does!

JustAnotherFriedDay said:

I won't pray but I sure hope it does!

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Same^^^^

I wish you guys luck! I can't wait until our state gets their head out of its ass.
Good luck!!

DO MORE THAN HOPE AND PRAY! Send the state reps like Al O'Brien a fucking email or give them a fucking call! I am so dissapointed by the lack of initiative displayed by RIU members with this. This is historic, but post like this keep sinking to the bottom of the forum while post about bongs, zip prices, and "pics that make you lol" stay afloat. All I can say is what the fuck? If we ever want to see pot legal we have to do more than hope, join NORML, or put "legalize it" in our signatures.

I'm not trying to attack either Secret Jardin or JustAnotherFriendDay, at least you guys are showing interest. I'm trying to get the attention of all the other RIU members who just scroll right buy this post because they don't even give a shit.

Mainly I'm just upset because this vote is in the hands of Al O'Brien, DEMOCRAT! The only reason he doesn't want to legalize is because he is a former cop representing a conservative part of WA. Can we not get off our asses and send him a letter or give him a call? Shit it would only take 20 min.

If you are too lazy or busy to write your own letter, fill out the form letter below and email to O'Brien, his email is also below. Better yet, call his office and flood his secretary with messages.

His email is: [email protected]
Phone: (360) 786-7928 Toll-free Hotline: 1-800-562-6000


Dear Mr. O'Brien,
My name is _, I am _ years old, I am a __, and I am a resident of Washington State. I am writing to you because it has been recently announced that State Representative's Mary Lou Dickerson and Roger Goodman have introduced a bill that would potentially make cannabis or marijuana a legal and taxable commodity. I would like you to know that I am in full support of this bill and the legalization of cannabis in our state.
The Bill is HB 2401, and I am sure that you are already aware of it. In fact, you may even have a hand in this bills ultimate success or failure in just a few days time. Please sir, I urge you to support this bill. As a former law enforcement officer, you must be intimately aware of the lack of danger posed by cannabis when compared with other substances, including legal substances such as alcohol. As of right now, the only danger posed by cannabis is due in part to the fact that it is illegal and thus a valuable substance. If that monetary incentive were taken away by legalizing the substance, the incentive to do engage in reckless and dangerous behavior in order to sell cannabis on the black market would also be taken away. By legalizing cannabis, we can take a bite out of crime by eliminating the income source for many participants in organized crime, and thus undermine their footing in high risk neighborhoods.
There are many reasons to legalize cannabis, which I have outlined below, however one stands out to me in particular, and I will share it with you now. What most don't realize is that despite our very harsh laws against cannabis use in the United States, we have some of the highest instances of high school-aged use in the entire world. Nearly 1 in 2 high school students use, or have used cannabis, in comparison, only 9% of high school students in the Netherlands have used or use cannabis. As I am sure you are aware, cannabis is decriminalized in the Netherlands, and comprises a veritable cottage industry.
There is a way that we can reduce the number of underage cannabis users in our state; we can legalize cannabis. How will this work? It is simple, a drug dealer selling cannabis (or marijuana) does not ask for ID, nor does he or she care about how old the recipient is. The drug dealer's only concern is whether or not the individual has the money to by the drug. If cannabis were legal, and sold through state run liquor stores, individuals would be required to furnish proof of age, and there would be no financial incentive to sell to underage buyers as the liquor store attendant would be salaried, or at least earn an hourly wage that they would stand to lose if they were to sell to a minor. If you are not convinced that this would effectively reduce the number of high school-age cannabis users, simply compare the number instances of under-age cannabis use, vs. instances of underage alcohol use, and I believe that you will see that state control is an effective way to prevent underage use.
If economic recovery is your goal, than surely you must support the legalization and taxation of cannabis, as it will generate a generous amount of revenue that the state of Washington desperately needs. Not only would the legalization of cannabis generate revenue, it would also prevent revenue from being wasted on the investigations, arrests, prosecutions, and imprisonments of the plethora of citizens within our state who choose to indulge in this remarkably inert substance (when compared with alcohol or tobacco).
Furthermore, if ensuring that our school system remains one of the best in the state and the nation is your goal, you must also support this bill for the revenue it will generate will pay for better educations for our children. Not only that, the extra revenue will also allow for intensive drug education programs that explain dangers of more dangerous and lethal drugs such as methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin/opiates, and alcohol, while emphasizing why cannabis is a substance that requires the experience and discipline that is acquired through becoming an adult in order to be enjoyed responsibly.
Finally, if generating new jobs is your goal, than surely you must see the benefit of allowing for a new industry to bloom within our state. There are thousands of uses for hemp and cannabis as a medicinal substance, a recreational substance, and as an industrial resource. Citizens from all walks of life and from all areas of our state would benefit significantly by the new jobs that would doubtlessly be created by legalizing cannabis. We need jobs.
In conclusion I would just like to note that you were elected because your voters felt that you had within you the capacity to make intelligent, informed, and level headed decisions that would benefit everyone in our state. This is your opportunity to prove that you are in fact capable of this not only to me, but also to everyone in our state. Please do not let us down. I await your reply.
Sincerely,

TheGanjaGuru said:

DO MORE THAN HOPE AND PRAY! Send the state reps like Al O'Brien a fucking email or give them a fucking call! I am so dissapointed by the lack of initiative displayed by RIU members with this. This is historic, but post like this keep sinking to the bottom of the forum while post about bongs, zip prices, and "pics that make you lol" stay afloat. All I can say is what the fuck? If we ever want to see pot legal we have to do more than hope, join NORML, or put "legalize it" in our signatures.

I'm not trying to attack either Secret Jardin or JustAnotherFriendDay, at least you guys are showing interest. I'm trying to get the attention of all the other RIU members who just scroll right buy this post because they don't even give a shit.

Mainly I'm just upset because this vote is in the hands of Al O'Brien, DEMOCRAT! The only reason he doesn't want to legalize is because he is a former cop representing a conservative part of WA. Can we not get off our asses and send him a letter or give him a call? Shit it would only take 20 min.

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Gotta hate ex cops who are stuck in the past...the past where propaganda plagued their entire reputation as servants of the people...in no way are mj arrests serving us.

You gotta realize though, not many of us are WA residents and obviously those who are not cannot write letters.

Guru do you really think they have the time to read all these emails?

However, I guess if the subject is : UPCOMING BILLS HB 1177 and HB 2401

and if his inbox is flooded with those emails he would have no choice but to read.

i already sent mine a couple days ago, hopefully it gets read...knowing politicians however...

JustAnotherFriedDay said:

Guru do you really think they have the time to read all these emails?

However, I guess if the subject is : UPCOMING BILLS HB 1177 and HB 2401

and if his inbox is flooded with those emails he would have no choice but to read.

i already sent mine a couple days ago, hopefully it gets read...knowing politicians however...

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Even if they don't read the emails, its better than their in box's being filled with...nothing.

All I'm getting at is that if want pot legal, we have to make our voices heard, if we don't speak up, know one will ever know that we even had an opinion in the first place. Taking action and speaking up is probably one of the most important things that pro-legalization citizens can do as it will help break the "lazy stoner" stereotype. I know that not all stoners are lazy as I know plenty who work, go to school full time, and even manage to find time to do good things for the community. People, particularly politicians must be forced to see us a participating members of society rather than abuser of illicit substances.

Wash. House committee votes down marijuana bills

Efforts to reform Washington state's marijuana laws were voted down by a House committee Wednesday.
By RACHEL LA CORTE
Associated Press Writer


OLYMPIA, Wash. — Efforts to reform Washington state's marijuana laws were voted down by a House committee Wednesday.
The Public Safety Committee rejected a measure to legalize marijuana for those 21 and older, and another that would decriminalize possession of small amounts of pot for adults.
Chairman Chris Hurst, D-Enumclaw, voted against both, saying he couldn't vote for something that conflicted with federal law.
He said that while there were powerful arguments for why marijuana regulation should be left to the states and not the federal government, "I took an oath of office to uphold the state constitution and the federal constitution."
"I cannot, in good conscious, pass a law or vote for a law that in my opinion, is against federal law," Hurst said.
Rep. Roger Goodman, D-Federal Way, said that the fact that marijuana is illegal doesn't make its use any less prevalent.
"I want to regulate a product that potentially has hazardous consequences," he said. "A 'no' vote on this bill is a vote for prohibition and the illegal markets that it spawns."
The legalization bill failed on a 6-2 vote, with two other Democrats crossing over and voting with Hurst and Republicans: Reps. Al O'Brien of Mountlake Terrace and Steve Kirby of Tacoma.
Under the legalization bill, marijuana would be sold in Washington state's 160 state-run liquor stores, and customers who are 21 and older, would pay a tax of 15 percent per gram. The measure would have dedicated most of the money raised for substance abuse prevention and treatment, which is facing potential cuts in the state budget as lawmakers seek to patch a $2.6 billion hole.
"The amount of money that we could realize over legalizing it and regulating it is close to $300 million a year," said Rep. Sherry Appleton, D-Poulsbo, who voted for both measures. "My feeling is that this is the time to challenge the federal government and we should be doing that."
The decriminalization bill would reclassify adult possession of marijuana from a crime with jail time to a civil infraction with a $100 penalty.
It failed on a 5-3 vote, with Rep. O'Brien crossing back over and voting with Appleton and Goodman to pass it. A decriminalization measure is still alive in the Senate, although a public hearing hasn't been scheduled for it.

Don Skakie, who drove 50 miles to the hearing from Renton, said the fact that Washington has had a voter-approved medical marijuana law since 1998 should lessen the state's apprehension toward making it available to the general public.
"I do believe there is a lack of political courage," he said.
Skakie, a member of the Cannabis Defense Coalition in Seattle, said that he would be involved in trying to help get a marijuana ballot initiative on the November ballot.
Last week, activists filed the initiative that would legalize all adult marijuana possession, manufacturing and sales.
If the initiative qualifies for the ballot, it will ask voters to remove all state criminal penalties for adults who possess, grow and distribute pot - no matter how much. Criminal penalties for juveniles who possess marijuana and for those who provide the drug to minors would remain in place. Driving under the influence of the drug also would still be illegal.
Supporters must gather more than 240,000 signatures by July 2 to qualify for the general election.

TheGanjaGuru said:

Even if they don't read the emails, its better than their in box's being filled with...nothing.

All I'm getting at is that if want pot legal, we have to make our voices heard, if we don't speak up, know one will ever know that we even had an opinion in the first place. Taking action and speaking up is probably one of the most important things that pro-legalization citizens can do as it will help break the "lazy stoner" stereotype. I know that not all stoners are lazy as I know plenty who work, go to school full time, and even manage to find time to do good things for the community. People, particularly politicians must be forced to see us a participating members of society rather than abuser of illicit substances.

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Amen, anyone interested in making a difference check the cannabis defense coalition's website out. They are the ones responsible for collecting signatures for the november 2010 ballot initiative to flat out legalize it.

http://cdc.coop/

nov 2010 ballot we shall win, for sure!

Figured this would be the case. O well live to fight another day! I will continue to smoke bud on my time anyways.

That will be the next step, and perhaps the better alternative. I'm still pretty disappointed though, but there will be more opportunities.