Last year, 2010, Sensible Washington.org organized and distributed Initiative Ballots throughout WA State to legalize Cannabis/Marijuana for adults aged 21 and over.
Volunteers gathered 2/3rds of the signatures necessary to put the question on the next State-wide ballot (they needed about 240,000 and garnered about 160,000 signatures).
This year, they are ready to make WA State the first State in the Union to completely legalize Cannabis for those 21 years and older.
What is Sensible Washington's take on Cannabis?
From their ABOUT US page:
Many people don’t know this, but there are now dispensary-like businesses and cooperatives in Washington where you can obtain tested medical marijuana safely over the counter with a credit card.
Unfortunately, medical marijuana is only available in these kinds of safe environments for those who know the right people and can afford or find a doctor who will make the recommendation.
Sensible Washington intends to fix that. We are organizing a team of 10,000+ activists statewide to gather signatures and place an initiative on the November 2011 ballot. The initiative is simple: it removes all criminal penalties for possession, use, manufacture or delivery of cannabis among adults.
It makes medicine safely available to patients without having to go to the black market.
Furthermore, they address the issue from a Legal Standpoint:
History shows that the best way to end prohibition is to simply repeal prohibition language. In 1932 Washington was one of the states that repealed prohibition on alcohol through a statewide initiative. The initiative removed all state laws criminalizing alcohol, leaving the Legislature the task of creating regulations, which it did. Their initiative language gave nothing for the Federal Government to attack since it simply removed state prohibition laws and nothing new was being added that would conflict with Federal law.
This is still the best strategy. When trying to legalize a federally controlled substance, there is always the problem of conflict with the supreme law of the land. If we pass code that includes regulation for something that is not allowed federally, the government has the power to trump the law leaving us back at square one, but with our funders and our volunteers demoralized. It could happen immediately or years down the road when a hostile Federal administration takes power.
Since last year was their first try, and they managed to get 2/3rds of the needed signatures AND WA State now has polling showing at least 51% of voters agree that Cannabis should be legal for adults aged 21 and older - there is very good chance that they will successfully place an initiative on the ballot for this fall in WA State.
Are you a WA State resident? Are you aged 18 or older? Are you a registered voter?
Why not get yourself some Initiative Signature sheets in March and get your friends and relatives who believe that adults should be legally allowed to grow, use and sell Cannabis in the Evergreen State to sign them?
There will be local co-ordinators in every county in the State, just like last year.
You won't even have to mail the ballots back to anyone!
Isn't it way past time to End Marijuana Prohibition, and all of the associated ills that go along with criminalization?
Isn't it way past time to cut off at least 50% of the money going to the Drug Lords in Mexico, who are formenting violence in Mexico and along the US border?
It's as easy as visiting the Sensible Washington.org website, and signing up as a volunteer!
Your local county co-ordinator will contact you by email to let you know when and where your next county-wide volunteer meeting will take place. You can get new signature sheets or turn in completed signature sheets at these meetings, or have them mailed to you and return them by mail.
If you live in WA State, I hope that you will consider becoming a volunteer signature gatherer - and to help put I-1135 on this fall's ballot.