Marijuana Legalization Getting a Boost
More and more state democrats are hopeful of the fact that the initiative of marijuana legalization in Washington will take its full course by next year. By getting the full support of the “big” people in the state, activists are more confident that by the end of their December 2011 deadline, they will be able to gather 241,000 valid signatures to bring the proposal to a public vote by November 2012.
It was confirmed by Alison Holcomb that philanthropist and environmentalist Harriet Bullitt donated $100,000 to their coalition, New Approach Washington, to express his support for the hemp legalization. Financially speaking, the coalition is more than aggressive with their campaigns as they gather thousands of dollars from prominent people. These include Peter Lewis and the Progressive Insurance Chairman who also gave an oath of another $50,000 from their previous support of $50,000.
Aside from the regulation of marijuana to people above 21 year of age, the resolution also states that the US government is “wasting millions of dollars” by the unnecessary prosecution of people who are arrested for marijuana possession and use. The Initiative 502 (I-502) outlines the details of their conviction to legalize the hemp for recreational and medicinal purposes and increase the state’s revenue that would come from the tax out of marijuana sales. In fact, an estimate of $240 million yearly savings was computed by the Office of Program Research of the Washington State House of Representatives. They are emphasizing that the resolution being passed is not merely focused on the advantage of the “use” of marijuana but it also sees the economic growth of the state as a whole.
New Approach Washington is with the fact that the realization of marijuana’s legal use will still be under the government’s provision. By clearly highlighting the regulations that will be imposed, the production and use will be covered by the state’s Liquor Control Board, where only state-licensed stores are allowed to sell it and only Washington businesses will have the right in its production and processing. Marijuana legalization in Washington also considers the strict advertising of the product to protect the minors as well.
Filed Under: Legalization of Marijuana
