WE CAN'T WAIT FOR FEDS TO REFORM MARIJUANA LAWS

Recently signatures were turned in to the office of the Secretary of
State by New Approach Washington to qualify Initiative 502 to
legalize, tax, and regulate marijuana for adults 21 and over under
Washington state law.

Passage of Initiative 502 would put our Washington ahead of that
other Washington's ongoing criminal prohibition of marijuana, raising
concerns among some. As a former U.S. representative and long-time
meddler, I must share that I have seldom seen major shifts in federal
law touching on sensitive social issues that didn't initiate at the
state level.

And now after watching our nation spend 40 years and $1 trillion on a
failed War on Drugs, I believe Washington's citizens understand that
this is an issue where leadership must come from the states. Matters
that resonate at a cultural or emotional level almost always are
taken up first at home.

Governors Chris Gregoire and Lincoln Chafee are to be commended for
publicly acknowledging that marijuana does not belong on the federal
government's Schedule I those substances with a high potential for
abuse and no currently accepted medical use when cocaine is on the
less serious Schedule II and neither alcohol nor tobacco are on any
schedule at all.

Three previous petitions to reschedule marijuana have been brought
before the Drug Enforcement Administration over the past four
decades, and each has been denied after languishing for years. The
most recent petition was filed in 2002 and denied just this past
July. Little reason exists to believe the DEA's response will be
different this time.

Change can begin in our Washington while we wait for the other
Washington to catch up.

Initiating marijuana law reform at the state level is hardly new.
After President Richard Nixon's National Commission on Marijuana and
Drug Abuse recommended decriminalization of marijuana in 1972,
Congress did nothing. However, 11 states followed the recommendation
and decriminalization possession of small amounts of marijuana during
the years 1975 to 1978. Nevada joined in 2001, Massachusetts in 2008.

In 1996, California passed the first state medical marijuana law, and
15 other states plus Washington, D.C., followed suit. Seven of these
medical marijuana laws include provisions for licensing and
regulating the production and distribution of marijuana, including
the District of Columbia, whose laws are subject to congressional
review. New Mexico has had dispensaries licensed and in operation since 2009.

Initiative 502, sponsored by one former U.S. attorney and endorsed by
another, represents a carefully considered, responsible approach to
reforming state marijuana laws in a way that promotes good governance
and effective use of public resources. It is not a free-for-all that
thumbs its nose at the federal government's marijuana prohibition.
Rather, it constructs a tight regulatory system guided by a solid
focus on public health and safety.

Some worry that the new marijuana DUI standard included in I-502 may
put medical marijuana patients with higher tolerances at risk.
However, Washington law already requires objective evidence of actual
impairment before an officer may arrest someone for DUI and request a
blood test by a medical professional, and I-502 earmarks new revenues
for further study of THC's impact on driving. If problems
materialize, they can be addressed in the courts or Legislature.

We can no longer afford to sit idly by, waiting for marijuana law
reform to happen at the federal level. According to the U.S.
Department of Justice, marijuana sales in the U.S. constitute "the
single largest source of revenue for the Mexican cartels." The
violence is spilling across the border and into Washington itself as
criminal organizations set up shop.

Taking marijuana out of the black market and bringing it under
regulatory control will have a direct and significant impact on the
cartel's bottom line and ability to do harm. It will free up law
enforcement resources currently wasted on nonviolent marijuana
offenders to go after violent criminals. It will better promote
public health and safety in our communities.

Initiative 502 may make federal authorities uncomfortable for the
period of time that federal law continues to be out of sync with
voters' wishes. However, being willing to push an issue to an
uncomfortable place is sometimes what it takes to demonstrate
leadership. For these reasons, I endorse I-502 and encourage our
Washington legislators and voters to support it.