Letter: Marijuana Decriminalization
Shankar Narayan, Legislative Director, ACLU of Washington
June 18, 2009
Seattle Times (Seattle, WA)
Editor, The Times:
Your front-page article on marijuana legalization ["More are asking: Is it time to legalize pot?" June 16] certainly is timely. However, it failed to mention important, relevant bills pending in the Washington Legislature.
House Bill 1177, sponsored by Rep. Dave Upthegrove and 11 other representatives, would reclassify adult marijuana possession from a misdemeanor carrying mandatory jail time to a civil infraction imposing a $100 penalty that could be paid by mail. The companion Senate Bill 5615, sponsored by Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, was voted out of committee with a bipartisan "do pass" recommendation. Both bills are alive for the 2010 session.
The fiscal note for SB 5615 prepared by the state's Office of Financial Management reports that its passage would save $16 million and generate $1 million in new revenue each year. Of that, $590,000 would be earmarked for underfunded treatment and prevention services.
When more and more Americans are questioning the wisdom of treating marijuana use as a crime rather than a public-health issue, we should not overlook local opportunities to enact change. |
