Title:
VICTORY!
Message:
Yesterday, Tacoma, WA voters sent a powerful message to Olympia
by joining Seattle in officially
declaring marijuana possession laws the city’s “lowest law enforcement
priority.” Congratulations to Don Muridan and Sherry Bockwinkel, co-sponsors
of Tacoma Initative No. 1, CannabisReformAct.org,
who gathered the necessary signatures, and of course the voters who helped make
this victory possible.
Despite running
this campaign in an off-year election, the measure passed by nearly a 2:1
margin, gathering 65% of the vote. Modeled after Seattle’s 2003 initiative,
Initiative No. 1 makes adult marijuana possession offenses the lowest priority
for law enforcement. Although more than 200
people were charged last year with minor marijuana possession in Tacoma, the
city attorney has called the initiative unnecessary, arguing that marijuana
charges are already a low priority in Tacoma. Well, now that’s official.
Yesterday’s
vote was about more than a legal technicality. The broad support enjoyed by Initiative
No. 1 demonstrates the overarching sentiment expressed by the voters: marijuana
prohibition has failed. Police should stop wasting time arresting people for
using a substance safer than alcohol and instead spend that time protecting
our community from violent criminals and other real threats to public safety.
Let’s hope Tacoma-area elected officials were listening.
Congrats
again!
