Washington State begins the marijuana market research arena

[JK/SEA]

here we go....

http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2019803619_marijuanalegislature01.html

[mczerone]

Has there ever been an article about cannabis that doesn't use horrible puns?

[Origanalist]

This should be fun to watch. I can only imagine the mess they are going to make out of this.

[MozoVote]

Has there ever been an article about cannabis that doesn't use horrible puns?I like the puns. It exposes how stupid prohibition is, when it's openly mocked.

[specsaregood]

This should be fun to watch. I can only imagine the mess they are going to make out of this.

^


At the hearing, Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, asked about the law's conflict with federal prohibition of marijuana. Kohler said Gregoire planned to talk with federal authorities a second time, but her agency was proceeding regardless.

"We're not sure we'll get any direction from the federal government," she said.

just wait until the they set it all up, call in a raid from their federal buddies, then declare it all futile since it is illegally federally and close it down.

[Peace Piper]

from the Seattle Times comments:

Publicbulldog December 1, 2012 at 6:28 AM

Nobody here seems to have read I502 carefully (PP:no sh*t)

Even though it is almost impossible to read a 64 page law,I have read it. The first thing the law requires the LCB to do is consider federal law.

They will consider federal law and scrap the program.As soon as the federal government threatens to withdraw federal grants,,DSHS,drug court,Public safety, education etc. The old CTED, Department of Commerce sole purpose is to be a pass thru agency.They will have to shut down if the feds pull the plug.Oue state is too hooked on federal funding.The feds have known this for years.They don't even have to bother to file a suit.The living wage machine will be too afraid to lose those CTED/federa; grant supported jobs.The pressure will be too much, and the program will be scrapped behind closed doors, and Durkan will help write the letter to instigate the cooperative federalism...which is what Gregoire did on the medical marijuana distribution system.


Maybe he's talking about this:

Sec. 24. RCW 69.50.500 and 1989 1st ex.s. c 9 s 437 are each amended to read as follows:
(a) It is hereby made the duty of the state board of pharmacy, the department, the state liquor control board, and their officers, agents, inspectors and representatives, and all law enforcement officers within the state, and of all prosecuting attorneys, to enforce all provisions of this chapter, except those specifically delegated, and to cooperate with all agencies charged with the enforcement of the laws of the United States, of this state, and all other states, relating to controlled substances as defined in this chapter.
http://www.sos.wa.gov/_assets/elections/initiatives/i502.pdf

DivideByZero December 1, 2012 at 3:56 AM

Fantastic, now the hippies will get a taste of the government's regulatory alphabet soup. This time it's their industry that'll take a hit. Tune in for the outrage. Short lived as it'll be, considering The Great Leader's intentions, but it'll be fun watching the show.

Look forward to:

WSDIPT (Washington State Dept. of Interstate Pot Trade) We can't have this stuff crossing state lines without a tariff, now can we? Border checks will be managed by this same agency.

WSDSV (Washington State Dept. of Strain Verification) To insure the stronger dope is taxed accordingly.

WBSD ( Washington Bureau of Seed Detection), policing for cross pollination. Can't have those nasty males in the mix.

WSDP (Washington State Dept. of Packaging) To insure non-smokers aren't offended or affected by the smell of the reefer.

and on, and on, and on....................... Oh did I mention, they'll be a somewhat significant increase in the cost of your medicine, uh is it still medicine?

*************

I-502 is not legalization. It simply creates a legal exception for possession of an ounce and a few other minor cannabis related crimes. Under this initiative it would still be illegal for individuals to grow any amount.

In addition, hemp would still not be explicitly legal, passing a joint would still be felony distribution, and a new form of prohibition will be introduced that will cause cannabis consumers to be wrongfully convicted and imprisoned (the per se DUID mandate (http://norml.org/library/item/you-are-going-directly-to-jail)).

People under 21 have the potential to be convicted of a DUID, even if patients, for consuming cannabis weeks ago. Beyond this, the entire distribution system will be federally preempted (rendered invalid in court) due to the fact that it creates a positive conflict with our federal Controlled Substances Act (you can’t force a state to accept taxes from a federally illegal substance). Even if not preempted, the regulation system is absurd, going as far as allowing the Liquor Control Board to decide the amount of THC in the cannabis sold, as well as the number of cannabis retail outlets per county.

http://www.nooni502.com/wordpress/faq-5

********
And even if somehow this survives, with state sponsored stores and 40 new enforcement officers (how long before that becomes 400?) I502 turns control of the entire industry over to the state.

What could possibly go wrong?

502=bad law

[RabbitMan]

Uh...No. Peace Piper, you were the guys we were fighting spreading a load of bollocks in this State. I-502 is the best legalization law out there.

Hemp is legal. You can grow hemp like it is lettuce. It's in the law. I know the people that wrote the initiative and influenced the law.

The price will stay relatively the same because taxes are merely replacing profit margins. In case you didn't know, most dispensaries(the ones that sell cheap outdoor grown California crap), have a HUGE mark-up so they can make their money quick and get out. The previous system exploited TRUE medical patients.

AND STOP WITH THE DUI CRAP. Previous System: You are super high and swerve around crazily as if intoxicated. You are pulled over under suspicion by a cop because something seems wrong. If you fail your sobriety tests, they take you back and test you, then slap you with a DUI if you prove positive.

Current System: You are super high and swerve around crazily as if intoxicated. You are pulled over under suspicion by a cop because something seems wrong. If you fail your sobriety tests, they take you back and test you, then slap you with a DUI if you are above a certain THC allotment.

WOW! What a difference!

You know what, we should just have a completely unregulated system of morons with money pouring in from shady people in California (the ones that threatened on a weekly basis my wife's dispensary for not taking their cheap, mold-ridden, pesticide-positive skank weed) and where law enforcement has no idea what its prerogative is since nobody wishes to define the legality of the substance.

Or wait.

Maybe we can have a solid foundation that makes marijuana and hemp AS INOFFENSIVE AS POSSIBLE, with smart and compassionate people pushing for testing cannabis for pesticides and mold and making sure it is Washington grown, and separating the charade of 'Medical Marijuana' from recreational users who make it nigh impossible for someone with cancer or cerebral-palsy to find good sound medical advice on the use of marijuana.

And you know the best part about it? It's going to cause workplaces to adopt mouths-swabs for testing marijuana use since we all know that blood tests don't reflect how recently THC was used, and when the police get sued by a medical patient who smokes all the time and can drive, they'll be forced to change to the mouth swab too.

What could go wrong? And I'm serious, what could go wrong? I-502 = Incredible Law that posers in the 'Medical' industry hated.

[tangent4ronpaul]

Great comment:


The Black market could put a plan together in 24 hours. Politics as usual.

From the article:


The voter-approved Initiative 502 requires the LCB to license and regulate a seed-to-store closed marijuana market, with the first licenses to be issued in late 2013. Based on a state fiscal analysis, it will be a big market: 363,000 users consuming 187,000 pounds of marijuana each year, with steep sin taxes generating more than $560 million a year.

Talk about STEEP sin taxes - that's $187 an ounce just in taxes! Something tells me the black market will drive the state out of business by undercutting the price.

Not that long ago "dime" (literally $10) bags were 1/4th oz - and that was good quality. Remember talking to a guy long ago bitching about those prices. He said he used to be able to go down to Mexico and buy a grocery bag full of weed for $10.


from the Seattle Times comments:

Publicbulldog December 1, 2012 at 6:28 AM

Nobody here seems to have read I502 carefully (PP:no sh*t)

Even though it is almost impossible to read a 64 page law,I have read it. The first thing the law requires the LCB to do is consider federal law.

They will consider federal law and scrap the program.As soon as the federal government threatens to withdraw federal grants,,DSHS,drug court,Public safety, education etc. The old CTED, Department of Commerce sole purpose is to be a pass thru agency.They will have to shut down if the feds pull the plug.Oue state is too hooked on federal funding.The feds have known this for years.They don't even have to bother to file a suit.The living wage machine will be too afraid to lose those CTED/federa; grant supported jobs.The pressure will be too much, and the program will be scrapped behind closed doors, and Durkan will help write the letter to instigate the cooperative federalism...which is what Gregoire did on the medical marijuana distribution system.


Sure about that?

According to this article:

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?397142-States-With-Most-Signatures-to-Secede-Took-Millions-in-Federal-Money&p=4755222#post4755222

no state got more than 11 million dollars from the federal government last year. 11M fed revenue vs 560M pot revenue - let me think...

Oregon taxpayers also paid the federal gvmt $23,466,608,000 (yes 23+ BILLION) in taxes in 2007. Not much of a return on investment, eh?

Oregon's succession petition is only 50 signatures shy of the WH having to respond to it, and they have said they will respond to the petitions that get enough signatures on this issue. That's sure going to be fun to watch! :D

-t

[tod evans]

^
just wait until the they set it all up, call in a raid from their federal buddies, then declare it all futile since it is illegally federally and close it down.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^This^^^^^^^^^^

At risk of being redundant, I trust government as far as I can drop-kick an anvil..

[RabbitMan]

Guys, for the first time in our country's recent history a majority of people approve of legalizing Marijuana. This isn't a case of some rogue States doing something weird, this is the start of a tidal wave of this kind of stuff.

The Feds will not intervene. And there will be no DEA agent on every corner arresting people for possession. This is all fear-mongering non-sense, lets just be happy that we're cracking holes in the Drug War.

[BenIsForRon]

At the hearing, Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, asked about the law's conflict with federal prohibition of marijuana. Kohler said Gregoire planned to talk with federal authorities a second time, but her agency was proceeding regardless.

"We're not sure we'll get any direction from the federal government," she said.

Great to hear this from the authorities. The more headstrong they are on carrying this new system out, the less the feds will fuck with them.