Washingtons initiative 502

[Bud buster]

Great point these greedy bastard would rather their clients go to jail than lose a buck or have to expand like any other legal business to make money the underground will always exist it does now with harsh penalty's. Less people in jail for a victim less crime costing society so much in so many different ways.

 

[GP73LPC]

excellent news...

 

[Wacky Tobacky]

Indeed it is excellent news.

Also i just want to say that OP is a giant retard. seriously FUCK YOU! You greedy fuck. it passed. you mad bro?

 

[vapedg13]

no... the state of washingtons liquor board lost almost all income now they will be hiring new people

marijuana is now legal but we have no way to buy any legally

we cant grow any legally...so how do you get the ounce of legal weed??? how is that legalization

Initiative 502’s impact on the Washington State Liquor Control Board

Summary

Initiative 502 would license and regulate marijuana production, distribution, and possession for persons over 21; remove state-law criminal and civil penalties for activities that it authorizes. Tax marijuana sales and earmark marijuana-related revenues. The new tightly regulated and licensed system would be similar to those used to control alcohol.

Licenses and Fees

Creates an application process that mirrors the liquor license application process
Creates three new marijuana licenses: producer, processor, and retailer. The fee for each license is a $250 application fee and $1000 annual renewal fee.
Marijuana Producer: produces marijuana for sale at wholesale to marijuana processors and allows for production, possession, delivery, distribution.
Marijuana Processor: processes, packages, and labels marijuana/marijuana infused product for sale at wholesale to marijuana retailers and allows for processing, packaging, possession, delivery, distribution.
Marijuana Retailer: allows for sale of useable marijuana/marijuana infused products at retail outlets regulated by the WSLCB.
The initiative allows the WSLCB to charge fees for anything done to implement/enforce the act. For example, fees could be charged on sampling, testing, and labeling that would be the cost of doing business as a licensee

Marijuana Taxes

The initiative creates three new excise taxes to be collected by the WSLCB:
Excise tax equal to 25% of the selling price on each sale between licensed producer and licensed processor. Paid by the producer.
Excise tax equal to 25% of the selling price on each sale of usable marijuana/marijuana infused product from a licensed processor to a licensed retailer. Paid by the processor.
Excise tax equal to 25% of the selling price on each licensed retail sale of usable marijuana/marijuana infused product. Paid by the retailer.

This tax is in addition to any/all applicable general, state, and local sales and use taxes, and is part of the total retail price.

All funds from marijuana excise taxes are deposited in the Dedicated Marijuana Fund. Disbursements from the Dedicated Marijuana Fund shall be on authorization of the WSLCB or a duly authorized representative.
Initiative 502 allows for the WSLCB to enact rules that establish procedures and criteria for:
The equipment, management and inspection of production, processing, and retail outlets.
Books and records maintained by licensed premises.
Methods of producing, processing and packaging of marijuana/marijuana infused products, to include conditions of sanitation.
　
Standards of ingredients, quality, and identity of marijuana/marijuana infused products produced, processed and sold by licensees.
Security requirements for retail outlets and premises where marijuana is produced and processed.

Retail Outlets

Specific number of retail outlets and licenses will be determined by the WSLCB in consultation with the Office of Financial Management taking into account population, security and safety issues, and discouraging illegal markets. The initiative also caps retail licenses by county.
Retail outlets may not employ anyone under the age of 21, nor allow anyone under the age of 21 to enter the premises.
Retail outlets are only authorized to sell marijuana/marijuana products or paraphernalia.
Retailers are allowed one sign identifying the outlet’s business or trade name, not to exceed 1600 square inches.
They are not allowed to display marijuana or marijuana related products in a manner that is visible to the general public.

Possession

If enacted, individuals twenty-one years of age or older are legally authorized to possess and use:
One ounce of useable marijuana.
16 ounces of marijuana infused product in solid form; or
72 ounces of marijuana infused product in liquid form.
Marijuana-related drug paraphernalia.
Individuals will still be subject to criminal prosecution for:
Possession in amounts greater than what is listed above.
Possession of any quantity or kind of marijuana/marijuana infused product by a person under 21 years of age.

Price

The Office of Financial Management places a price estimate of $12 per gram. Medicinal marijuana dispensary prices on average range between $10 and $15 per gram with some premium products exceeding $15 per gram.
Based on average retail mark-up practices, estimated producer price is $3 per gram and estimated processor price is $6 per gram.

Timeline

November 6, 2012: Public vote on Initiative 502.
December 6, 2012: Initiative 502 goes into effect (30 days after general election).
December 1, 2013: Deadline for the WSLCB to establish the procedures and criteria necessary to implement the initiative.

 

[LayedBack]

vaped thank you for at least making a point, but no one is saying their aren't problems with the new law it's just that these things can be fixed over time.

The BIG picture here is that you CAN possess up to one ounce of marijuana there now and the even BIGGER picture is that both Colorado and Washington serve as symbols of legalization freedom for ALL of America!!! Not to mention it's just plain easier to stand up for yourself in the legal system with a law like this in place, it opens up many doors that might not ever be shut again.

Now all we need is to have cannabis rescheduled and America will be on the right path with this issue.

 

[vta]

marijuana is now legal but we have no way to buy any legally

we cant grow any legally...so how do you get the ounce of legal weed??? how is that legalization

What!?! You mean 2 days after it passed they don't have everything in place and stores selling???

 

[LeeROI]

What!?! You mean 2 days after it passed they don't have everything in place and stores selling???

Especially since we just closed the state liquor stores. Everything now is in the supermarkets, Costco, superboozemarts.

 

[LeeROI]

I was just at seattletimes.com.

November 8, 2012 at 5:10 PM

Gregoire not joining Colorado’s chat with Justice Department on pot legalization

Posted by Jonathan Martin
.


Gov. Chris Gregoire has not reached out to the Justice Department for clarity on the federal response to marijuana legalization, and does not plan to join Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, who has a call scheduled Friday afternoon with U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to talk about the legalization measure his state passed.

Gregoire’s staff, along with the state attorney general and the Liquor Control Board, is instead planning to meet internally first regarding Initiative 502, said her spokesman, Cory Curtis. “We obviously have to have the conversation” with the Justice Department, said Curtis. “There’s this cloud hanging over it, no pun intended.”

Although Washington voted to legalize small amounts of marijuana beginning Dec. 6, pot remains illegal under federal law.

Curtis said contact with the Justice Department will likely begin through the state attorney general and the Liquor Control Board, which is the lead agency in setting up I-502′s state-licensed marijuana stores. AG spokeswoman Janelle Guthrie said the agencies have not met to game-plan for I-502.

Hickenlooper, who opposed Colorado’s Amendment 64, cautioned voters after election day to not “break out the Cheetos or gold fish too quickly” because of the federal threat, and the Colorado attorney general said the Justice Department should make its intentions clear quickly.

Colorado’s measure calls on the state Legislature to set rules for their state-licensed marijuana stores, which would not open for at least a year.

The process to set those rules in Washington will also take at least a year, and Gregoire also hopes for clarity. “Our big concern is that we not move down the road with money and time on rule-making if they are going to stop the process,” said Curtis.

 

[cactusjack]

Anyone know how this might effect seed sales in Washington?

 

[danut]

“Our big concern is that we not move down the road with money and time on rule-making if they are going to stop the process,” said Curtis.

It sounds like the "big concern" is to find any excuse to avoid obeying the law.

 

[LeeROI]

I'm willing to give (retiring) Gov. Gregoire the benefit of the doubt. She joined with a few other governors a few months ago, asking the feds for feedback regarding cannabis as schedule 1, IIRC. I never heard the answer back.

Very much a states' rights issue, as I see it.

 

[LeeROI]

[seattletimes.com:]

Originally published Friday, November 9, 2012 at 7:15 PM


Marijuana prosecutions dropped in anticipation of legalization

Prosecutors and police in Washington moved Friday to swiftly back away from enforcing marijuana prohibition, even though the drug remains illegal for another month.

By Jonathan Martin

Seattle Times staff reporter

Prosecutors and police in Washington moved Friday to swiftly back away from enforcing marijuana prohibition, even though the drug remains illegal for another month.

On Friday, the elected prosecutors of King and Pierce counties, the state's two largest, announced they will dismiss more than 220 pending misdemeanor marijuana-possession cases, retroactively applying provisions of Initiative 502 that kick in Dec. 6.

In King County, Dan Satterberg said his staff will dismiss about 40 pending criminal charges, and will not file charges in another 135 pending cases. Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist said he will dismiss about four dozen cases in which simple marijuana possession was the only offense.

"I think when the people voted to change the policy, they weren't focused on when the effective date of the new policy would be. They spoke loudly and clearly that we should not treat small amounts of marijuana as an offense," Satterberg said.

The Seattle police and King County sheriff also announced Friday their departments would no longer arrest people for having an ounce or less of marijuana, the amount decriminalized by Initiative 502, which passed Tuesday.

The quick pivot by law enforcement reflects Tuesday's unambiguous vote in which 20 of the state's 39 counties endorsed I-502, 55 to 45 percent.

Misdemeanor marijuana possession had not been a police priority in Seattle for years, but a study released in October found it was elsewhere: more than 241,000 people statewide were arrested for possession over the past 25 years, at an estimated cost of more than $305 million.

I-502 campaign manager Alison Holcomb said the decision by police and prosecutors affirms the campaign's argument that legalization would shift law-enforcement priorities.

"If 502 hadn't passed, we'd see the same amount of marijuana possession cases every year," said Holcomb. "What makes a difference is changing the law."

"People have spoken"

In interviews, Satterberg and Lindquist said their decisions do not amount to a free pass for marijuana, and the number of cases were so small that it won't save much money. But both said their decision reflected the voters' intent in passing I-502's decriminalization of marijuana for people 21 and over, and for an ounce or less.

The affected cases in King County involve arrests in unincorporated King County, on state highways or at the University of Washington. Satterberg said his staff will continue to prosecute felony marijuana cases, but found, "There is no point in continuing to seek criminal penalties for conduct that will be legal next month."

Lindquist agreed. "The people have spoken through this initiative," he said. "And as a practical matter, I don't think you could sell a simple marijuana case to a jury after this initiative passed."

The maximum penalties for misdemeanor marijuana possession are 90 days in jail, with one day mandatory, and a $1,000 fine, although most cases are resolved for less.

Snohomish County Prosecutor Mark Roe said in an email that his staff had put marijuana cases "on hold" before the election, and will decide how to handle them after speaking with other prosecutors at an upcoming meeting.

After budget cuts, Roe said his staff has focused on more serious cases. "It simply hasn't been a big part of our work," he said.

"Equitable decision"

Prosecutors across the state will decide whether charging possession cases would be contrary to "the new known intent of the law," said Tom McBride, executive director of the Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorneys.

He doubted that prosecutors would agree to overturn existing marijuana possession convictions, and prosecutors could clearly enforce existing law up until Dec. 6. "It is an equitable decision, not necessarily a legal one," he said.

Other agencies are also sorting out I-502's implications. The UW and Western Washington University reaffirmed that marijuana use on campus would still be banned, even after Dec. 6, because of zero-tolerance strings attached to federal funding.

"While Western abides by all state laws, it also must follow all federal laws and I-502 creates a conflict between the two," WWU said in a statement. "When state and federal laws are in conflict, federal law takes precedence."

Because of that conflict, Satterberg said he expects federal authorities to sue to stop Washington from issuing marijuana retailing and growing licenses.

"It's the kind of issue the U.S. Supreme Court will have a final word on," Satterberg said. "It's an important states' rights issue."

 

[Avinash.miles]

heres a good one:

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/arti...sdemeanor-marijuana-4024296.php#ixzz2BlZOssQm

 

[Jamorg13]

Hey, everyone that was arguing with me, lets revisit this topic.

-In Lewis county, someone indeed received a felony for passing a joint.

"I502 will not affect medical marijuana"- LOL

 

[Marquis de Sod]

first off whacky tobaccy eat shit.

2nd. time to look backwards? well obviously the whole dui thing turned out to be a non issue. that was about my biggest gripe. and it didn't materialize. as was pointed out must be the blood vs urine test that is done. heard a cop say that unless they busted you within a couple hours of smoking it wouldn't show up. so that is cool. all the rest has turned out to be a benefit except for one 'small' detail:

and that is the attempts that are being made to get rid of the medical cards entirely. one bill failed last year but another is in the works. the med shops are the only places that sell any affordable weed. get rid of them and you are STILL going to buy from an underground grower. NOBODY is going to pay $25--$30 a gram from a store if they know anybody who is selling for less, and just about anybody can beat that over taxed b.s. price. but still on the bright side, i have heard of, and actually there was a measure on the ballot last election, to remove some of the taxes on legal sales. i don't know if it passed, and i couldn't even get a straight answer out of the staff at a local grow shop as to which way to vote as they had no knowledge of it.

i also know that Skagit co. has placed a moratorium on granting growing permits to people.

but by and large. i would have to say passing the law has been beneficial. the BIGGEST benefit i have seen and i know everybody will agree, is that since CO and WA both passed their laws, the US Atty Gen has said they are going to quit prosecuting pot possession. to some degree anyway. So this was indeed a step in the right direction. I haven't seen any harm in it, but am watching to see what they are going to do to the Medical end of it. with low expectations.

 

[VenturaHwy]

The limits for MMJ will go from 24 ounces to one ounce. This will be a disaster for all medical growers. This is a state of WA takeover of cannabis. It was already legal for anyone who would take 30 minutes to get an authorization. So if you love big govt control of cannabis that is what is coming. Unless they can get enough signatures.

I-1372 Gathers Signatures To Protect & Strengthen Medical Cannabis