Decriminalize Marijuana Possession in Washington State
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Washington State Legislators
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Dear Representatives and Senators,
I am a law abiding voter who resides in Washington State.
I would like you to support legislation, such as Senate Bill 5615 and House Bill 1177, which decriminalizes the possession of Marijuana.
Possessing reasonable amounts of Marijuana should be a civil infraction, accompanied by a modest monetary fine. It is simply time for a paradigm shift in regards to the legality of Marijuana, for such reasons as:
The severe "war on drugs" tactics are misapplied to the relatively harmless drug Marijuana. They should be reserved for such hard drugs as crack, heroin, ecstasy, and meth. Drug interdiction funds and resources should likewise be focused on those hard drugs, rather than on Marijuana which has little negative impact upon individuals or society
The Washington Institute for Public Policy estimates that our state spends $7.5 million dollars per year to arrest, prosecute and jail those arrested for minor Marijuana offenses. That is too costly in light of our $6 billion dollar budget shortfall.
The money generated from civil infractions can fund the Criminal Justice Treatment Account. That will make it possible to provide genuine assistance to those with drug problems through treatment, drug court, and harm reduction programs. Those approaches will more effectively help those with a substance abuse problem, as opposed to just sentencing sending people to jail.
It has been over six years since Seattle made enforcement of Marijuana possession its "lowest priority." There have been no negative consequences from that act; in fact Mayor Nickels recently declared that "crime in Seattle is at an all time low."
The bottom line is that it's time to start treating personal use of Marijuana as a community health issue, rather than a criminal justice issue. It's also time to cut the wasteful spending of funds on arresting and incarcerating citizens for simple possession Marijuana.
I encourage you to examine this decriminalization issue and support bills such as HB 1177 and SB 5615.
I thank you for your consideration as a current and future constituent.
I am a law abiding voter who resides in Washington State.
I would like you to support legislation, such as Senate Bill 5615 and House Bill 1177, which decriminalizes the possession of Marijuana.
Possessing reasonable amounts of Marijuana should be a civil infraction, accompanied by a modest monetary fine. It is simply time for a paradigm shift in regards to the legality of Marijuana, for such reasons as:
The severe "war on drugs" tactics are misapplied to the relatively harmless drug Marijuana. They should be reserved for such hard drugs as crack, heroin, ecstasy, and meth. Drug interdiction funds and resources should likewise be focused on those hard drugs, rather than on Marijuana which has little negative impact upon individuals or society
The Washington Institute for Public Policy estimates that our state spends $7.5 million dollars per year to arrest, prosecute and jail those arrested for minor Marijuana offenses. That is too costly in light of our $6 billion dollar budget shortfall.
The money generated from civil infractions can fund the Criminal Justice Treatment Account. That will make it possible to provide genuine assistance to those with drug problems through treatment, drug court, and harm reduction programs. Those approaches will more effectively help those with a substance abuse problem, as opposed to just sentencing sending people to jail.
It has been over six years since Seattle made enforcement of Marijuana possession its "lowest priority." There have been no negative consequences from that act; in fact Mayor Nickels recently declared that "crime in Seattle is at an all time low."
The bottom line is that it's time to start treating personal use of Marijuana as a community health issue, rather than a criminal justice issue. It's also time to cut the wasteful spending of funds on arresting and incarcerating citizens for simple possession Marijuana.
I encourage you to examine this decriminalization issue and support bills such as HB 1177 and SB 5615.
I thank you for your consideration as a current and future constituent.
176 Signatures
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Jack Kogan
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Brent Irwin
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Christina Purington
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Max McMillen
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John Nichols
- Comments
- Please allow HB1177 a hearing
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Adam Borchardt
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Jennifer Craig
- Comments
- Go Green!
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Barry Keith Munson
- Comments
- support it
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Justin Cap
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Andrew Otwell
- Comments
- I'm a resident of King County, WA
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Jordan Spriggs
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James King
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jeremy cronk
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brandon cronk
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bret snow
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Brittney Helmlinger
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Les Rossich
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Donna S
- Comments
- http://www.upi.com/news/issueoftheday/2009/03/20/New_priorities_drive_Holder_Obama_to_permit_medical_marijuana_use/UPI-54261237563338/ Rep. Hurst, this should solve any concerns you ahve about WA citizens having problems with Federal authorities if this bill and the senate bill pass.
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sally ammon
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Adam Estep
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Sean Corwin
- Comments
- yes!
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Daniel Awesome
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Kaylyn Slankard
- Comments
- Why not?
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Ricky Clousing
- Comments
- В
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Jesse Van Benschoten
- Comments
- Decriminalize Marijuana, Its dumb to be illegal.
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Madelynne Nore
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Jonathan O'Grady Chandler
- Comments
- Legalize It, dont Criticize it!
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Nikko Pettis
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Courtney Freitas
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- Yes, It is time to treat personal marijuana use as a health practice, not a criminal act.
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Matthew Reynolds
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Alyssa Miller
- Comments
- Legalize it.
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Kelley Spinn
- Comments
- Heck yes!!!!!
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Dylan Walker
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Brenna Poole
- Comments
- It disgusts me that we utilize such a large portion of tax payer money for marijuana related offenses - these taxes should be allocated towards programs that would actually help improve our communities! i.e., healthcare, housing assistance, etc. Where are our priorities!?! Alcohol is more dangerous than marijuana - everything from personal health conditions, to harm inflicted onto others, i.e., drunk driving, assaults/rape, domestic violence, etc. It seems like common sense!
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Chris Gabble
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Briana Ninham
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Jeffrey H. Nelson
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James Robert EnBom
- Comments
- Less harmful then tabacco, and more stimulating in less quantity.
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josh williams
- Comments
- It's time to start saving money
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travis daniels
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Austin Smedley
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Signe Drake
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ROBERT MERRILL
- Comments
- THANK YOU
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Kristen Potter
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Jordan Smith
- Comments
- Thank You
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hayley cisneros
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Billie Morelli, Esq.
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Peter Chadwick
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Laurie Barnes
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Stella
- Comments
- I received a minor in possession of marijuana and I am an honors student with a 3.7 GPA. =(
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176
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