Showing posts with label marijuana. Show all posts
Showing posts with label marijuana. Show all posts

Marijuana legal in Washington but not in Oregon

Friday, December 7, 2012


If you are going across the river to Portland for the holidays, remember that their laws have not changed. The Portland Police Bureau warns:

Much like existing fireworks laws, what is legal in Washington is not legal in Oregon, In other words, if it goes high in the air or gets you high, you should probably use it in the Evergreen State.

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Washington State Patrol says it does not tolerate impaired drivers

Wednesday, December 5, 2012



Responding to questions about the new marijuana law, the Washington State Patrol said,
With respect to impaired driving, we hope you’ve all heard our mantra by now: We’ve always arrested impaired drivers regardless of the drug involved. It has always been a crime to drive while impaired by drugs whether they be illegal, legal or even medically prescribed. This new law does not change how troopers will determine impairment at the side of the road.  

They do not expect to have the kind of data which would indicate any change in arrests right away, pointing out that there would be no data on arrests not made (assuming a traffic stop disclosed a small amount of marijuana). Their current records simply state "drug" arrest and do not include the (suspected) type of drug.

Their job, they say, is to keep impaired drivers off the road. Reasons for impairment would be up to the courts.
The THC level in a suspect’s blood will not be known for days or weeks after the roadside contact. That will be an issue for prosecutors and defense attorneys not troopers. 


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King County Sheriff’s Office not to focus on marijuana

Friday, November 9, 2012


Following a change in filing by the King County prosecutor’s office, King County Sheriff’s Office deputies will not be directed to arrest or charge individuals caught with one ounce or less of marijuana in unincorporated King county following of the passage of I-502.

On Friday, November 9, 2012 the King County Prosecutor’s Office made a prosecutorial decision to dismiss several cases of marijuana possession. 

 “Now that the initiative has passed, and now that the Prosecutor’s Office won’t be charging the individuals, we will also not focus on behavior that will be legal under Washington State law after Dec. 6th” said King County Sheriff Steve Strachan.

There are 12 municipalities, including Shoreline, that contract with the Sheriff’s Office for police services. It remains the policy decision of the municipal attorneys and policy makers of those cities to determine how they will proceed between now and Dec. 6th. This decision only affects the deputies working in unincorporated King County.


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Forum on marijuana initiative Sunday at Richmond Beach Congregational

Saturday, October 20, 2012


A forum on the statewide ballot measure that would legalize marijuana is scheduled for Sunday morning at the Richmond Beach Congregational Church.

The forum on Initiative 502 will be at 11:30am Sunday at the Church at the corner of Northwest Richmond Beach Road and 15th Avenue Northwest in Shoreline. (map)

The measure is on the Nov. 6 general-election ballot.

Speakers will be Keith Henson from the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) of Pierce County and Tony Martinelli of the Sensible Washington group that wrote the official opposition statement in the State voters pamphlet.
            
The forum is in the basement of the church just off the back parking lot.


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MLT City Council votes to extend city’s moratorium on medical marijuana collectives

Wednesday, July 18, 2012


From our News Partners at the MLT News in Mountlake Terrace

By Doug Petrowski

By a 5-0 vote, the Mountlake Terrace City Council Monday night renewed the city’s current moratorium on all medical marijuana collective activities, including collective gardens. The moratorium extends until Jan. 8, 2013 the prohibition on medical marijuana activities in Mountlake Terrace while city officials study how it may implement regulations in the future. Officials will also review how current litigation around the state and this fall’s Initiative 502 marijuana reform ballot measure may affect the issue.

City officials want more time “with the sincere intent and continuing work to find a solution, whatever it is, that would be supportable for the community and not create undo risk,” said Shane Hope, Director of Community and Economic Development.

“I believe we still need to gather facts for this,” Mayor Pro Tem Laura Sonmore said just before the vote on the moratorium.

Mountlake Terrace joins other cities in the state that currently have a moratorium on medical marijuana activities and collective gardens, including Redmond and Snohomish. Other cities have moved on allowing some storefront co-ops and/or collective gardens for the growing and/or distribution of medical marijuana, as allowed within restrictions under state law. Federal drug law does not allow the production, distribution or possession of any marijuana.

The City of Mountlake Terrace has had a moratorium on medical marijuana regulations since just before Gov. Christine Gregoire vetoed portions of SB 5073 while allowing some aspects of the legislation to become law in April 2011. Current state law contains provisions for collective gardens but not for dispensaries.

The City of Mountlake Terrace has renewed its moratorium on medical marijuana activities three times.

A number of Washington state cities are currently facing litigation over their respective handling of the medical marijuana issue, including Seattle and Kent. State voters will find Initiative 502, the regulation of marijuana production, distribution and possession of limited amounts of marijuana, on this November’s general election ballot.


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Shoreline marijuana dispensary robbed at gunpoint - watch the movie

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Robbery suspects
Police need help identifying robbery suspects. See YouTube surveillance video tape


King County Sheriff’s Detectives are asking for the public’s help identifying two suspects who robbed a medical marijuana dispensary earlier this week in Shoreline.


The incident occurred around 8:30pm Saturday at the Seashore Collective in the 17500 block of 15 Ave NE in Shoreline. The two suspects entered the business and one produced a handgun. The men demanded money and marijuana and then fled in a stolen vehicle with the money and marijuana. The vehicle was recovered shortly after the robbery about a mile away.

See the bulletin for photos and description. 

If you have information about these suspects call the King County Sheriff’s Office Communications Center at 206-296-3311.


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King County Council Chair Larry Gossett endorses initiative to Legalize, Tax, and Regulate Marijuana

Monday, May 28, 2012


Gossett Cites Racial Disparities in Enforcement of Marijuana Laws

On Monday, May 28, King County Council Chair Larry Gossett announced his endorsement of Initiative 502, a Washington state initiative to legalize, tax, and regulate purchase and possession of small amounts of marijuana for adults 21 and over.

“As a nation, we can no longer afford to ignore the reality that the criminalization of marijuana has been a costly failure,” Gossett said.  “The State of Washington should take the lead in establishing a new, public health approach that will better serve our communities.”

Last month, the Washington State Office of Financial Management published preliminary fiscal analyses of the new tax revenue Initiative 502 would generate.  An estimated $560 million would go each year to the state general fund, local budgets, health care, drug abuse prevention, research, and education.

Gossett also expressed concern about current racial disparities in marijuana law enforcement.  “The uncomfortable truth is that people with brown and black skin are more likely than their white counterparts to wind up with a marijuana conviction that will limit their educational and employment opportunities,” he said.  

In Washington, an African American is three times as likely to be arrested, three times as likely to be charged, and three times as likely to be convicted of a marijuana offense than a white person despite the fact that white Washingtonians use marijuana at slightly higher rates.  “These inequalities also exacerbate tensions between our police officers and the communities they serve,” Gossett added.


Gossett is serving his seventh term on the Metropolitan King County Council.  Born and raised in Seattle, he has long been an advocate for programs that help inner-city youth and reduce racial and class disparities in our local criminal justice system.  From April 1979 until December 1993, he served as executive director of the Central Area Motivation Program, one of the oldest and largest community action agencies in the City of Seattle.


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Cancelled: Rick Steves speaks on Initiative 502

Monday, January 16, 2012

Rick Steves
Updated 1-19-2012 8:30pm
Cancelled: This event has been cancelled because of weather.

On Friday, January 20, 2012, at 7pm, local travel expert Rick Steves will be speaking at the Edmonds Unitarian Universalist Church on Initiative 502 - an effort to legalize, regulate, and tax marijuana. 

He will offer perspectives from his experiences in Europe, where drug use is treated as a health issue rather than a criminal one. This evening offers an opportunity to learn more about the movement supported by many law-enforcement personnel to legalize marijuana. The initiative has been presented to the legislature, and will likely be placed on the ballot in the fall.

Edmonds Universalist Church is located at 8109 224th St SW, Edmonds 98026
Childcare is available for members and affiliates of EUUC.



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Shoreline Planning Commission public hearing on medical marijuana gardens

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

The meeting of the Shoreline Planning Commission on Thursday, December 1, 2011 at 7pm in the Shoreline City Hall, 17500 Midvale Ave N, Council Chambers, will include a public hearing on Medical Marijuana Collective Gardens.


PUBLIC HEARING Legislative Public Hearing 7:10 p.m.

a. Medical Marijuana Collective Gardens  (pdf document for download)

  1. Staff Overview and Presentation of Preliminary Staff Recommendation
  2. Questions by the Commission to Staff
  3. Public Testimony
  4. Final Questions by the Commission
  5. Deliberations
  6. Vote by Commission to Recommend Approval or Denial or Modification
  7. Closure of Public Hearing 
The Planning Commission is a volunteer body of citizens appointed by the Shoreline City Council.  Their job is to research, hold public hearings, and make recommendations to the Shoreline City Council on matters of land use, zoning, and planning.


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ReNotice of Public Hearing on Medical Marijuana Collective Gardens

Monday, November 14, 2011


Public Hearing
The Planning Commission will hold an open record public hearing on proposed amendments to the Development Code that will allow Medical Marijuana Collective Gardens in Compliance with State Bill 5073.  

Interested persons are encouraged to provide oral and/or written comments regarding the amendments at the hearing. 

The public hearing is scheduled for December 1, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 17500 Midvale Avenue N, Shoreline, WA.


SEPA Determination
The City of Shoreline has determined that the proposal will not have probable significant adverse impacts on the environment and expects to issue a SEPA Determination of Non-significance (DNS). The DNS process described in WAC 197-11-355 is being used. The City will not act on this proposal for at least 14 days from the date of issuance. This decision was made after review of the environmental checklist and other information on file with the City.



This may be your only opportunity to submit written comments, including comments on the environmental impacts of the proposal. Written comments must be received at the address listed below before 5:00 p.m. November 23, 2011.  Please email, mail, fax (206) 801-2788 or deliver comments to the City of Shoreline, Attn: Paul Cohen, Senior Planner, 17500 Midvale Avenue North, Shoreline, WA 98133.

There is no administrative appeal of this determination. The SEPA Threshold Determination may be appealed with the decision on the underlying action to superior court. If there is not a statutory time limit in filing a judicial appeal, the appeal must be filed within 21 calendar days following the issuance of the underlying decision in accordance with State law.

More Information

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Public hearing on Medical Marijuana Collective Gardens has been postponed

Saturday, November 5, 2011

The Shoreline Planning Commission has postponed the open record public hearing on proposed amendments to the Development Code that will allow Medical Marijuana Collective Gardens, which had been scheduled for November 17, 2011.

It will be rescheduled to a later date.


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Shoreline City Council adopts interim regulations for medical-marijuana collective gardens and establishes a six-month moratorium

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

From the Office of the City Manager

On July 18, 2011, the Shoreline City Council adopted Ordinance 611 establishing a six-month moratorium on the filing or acceptance of any applications for development of land or business licenses for collective gardens used to grow medical-cannabis except those in compliance with adopted interim regulations.

In response to the new rules established by the legislature regarding the growing and distribution of medical-cannabis, the Shoreline City Council believed it was in the City’s best interest to establish interim legislation and a zoning moratorium pending review of anticipated changes to Shoreline’s municipal code.

Absent regulations, the Council believed that acceptance of development applications proposing collective gardens may allow development that is incompatible with nearby existing land uses and lead to erosion of community character. The six-month moratorium on the filing of certain applications for development or licensing of collective gardens permitted by state law and current Shoreline regulations will prevent substantial change until the land areas and the text of development standards applicable to collective gardens is reviewed and any needed revisions are made to the development code.

The new state law authorizes "collective gardens," which allow qualifying patients the ability to produce, grow and deliver cannabis for medical use. It also authorizes local municipalities to adopt location, health and safety regulations of such collective gardens.

Shoreline’s interim regulations require collective gardens to meet the following criteria before any permit or business license may be issued:

A. There shall be no more than one collective garden permitted on a property tax parcel.

B. Collective gardens may only be located in the following zones: neighborhood business, office, commercial business, North City business district, mixed use zone and industrial.

C. A collective garden or facility for delivery of cannabis produced by the garden may not be located within 1,000 feet of schools, and not within 2,000 feet of any other collective garden or delivery site.

D. Any transportation or delivery of cannabis from a collective garden shall be conducted by the garden members or designated provider to ensure quantities of medical-cannabis do not exceed what is permitted by state law.

A public hearing to take testimony concerning the moratorium is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. September 12 at Shoreline City Hall. The City Council has directed the Shoreline Planning Commission to review and recommend permanent regulations to replace the interim regulations.

The moratorium took effect immediately upon adoption.


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The Seattle Times: Medical marijuana clinics closed in Shoreline and LFP

Friday, March 25, 2011

Marijuana leaf
by Diane Hettrick
updated 03-30-2011


The Seattle Times has a story Friday about our local medical marijuana clinics. We have two - one in Shoreline, on Aurora, and one which opened quite recently in Lake Forest Park on Bothell Way.

The insurance agency for the cities, WCIA, recently opined that the clinics were not legal under existing state legislation.

Not wanting to jeopardize their insurance, Shoreline took immediate action to revoke the business license of the Shoreline clinic.

Patti Radar, Finance Manager, City of Shoreline, explains,
The Washington State Cities Insurance Authority (WCIA), the City’s insurance provider, has advised cities against issuing business licenses to medical marijuana dispensaries until there is clarification from the State on the legality of dispensaries. A bill currently before the legislature will do just that. Until then, the City wants to make sure that all businesses operating in Shoreline are operating legally.
According to The Times, Lake Forest Park denied the LFP clinic's request for a business license, then shut it down when the clinic opened without a license and without appropriate building permits.

The bill is Senate Bill 5073, introduced by Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles. It is still alive, as of Wednesday, March 23, having survived numerous challenges, but still needs to pass through another committee vote before going to the floor for a vote. The Seattle Weekly online did an article which you can read here.

If the legislation passes in a format which satisfies the WCIA, then each city will decide whether the clinics meet City regulations to be issued a business license.

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Seattle Times Editorial Board calls for legalization of marijuana

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Marijuana plants. PhotoMorgue
The Seattle Times editorial board calls for the Washington state Legislature to legalize marijuana in its Sunday editorial. The time has come, the editorial argues, for the states to lead the push against federal prohibition.

The Times endorses state House Bill 1550, which would legalize marijuana and sell it through the state liquor stores to customers over 21 who consume it in private. The Times editorial will be published in The Times Sunday print edition but will be available at 3 p.m. online.

The prohibition of marijuana has not worked – it continues to be widely available -- and it imposes huge costs in wasted resources of the police, the courts and the jails. Better to legalize it, regulate it and tax it, The Times editorial board argues. Such a move would greatly undermine the criminal element that thrives on an industry kept in legal shadows.

"Some drugs have such horrible effects on the human body that the costs of prohibition may be worth it," the editorial reads. "Not marijuana. This state’s experience with medical marijuana and Seattle’s tolerance policy suggest that with cannabis, legalization will work — and surprisingly well."

“Our ed board understands a good number of citizens may disagree with our call on this,” said Ryan Blethen, Times Editorial Page Editor and Associate Publisher. “And we understand if Washington state legalized marijuana, the law would be in conflict with federal laws. But it is a fight whose time has come. The states must lead it, and Washington should be first.”

Sponsored by Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson, D-Seattle, HB 1550 was the subject of hearing Feb. 8 in the state House Committee on Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness. It has not yet been voted out of committee.

The Seattle Times is a 114-year-old locally owned journalism and community service company. Founded in 1896 by Alden J. Blethen, The Seattle Times is a fourth and fifth generation family business. The family's flagship newspaper, The Seattle Times, is the largest daily newspaper in Washington state and the largest Sunday newspaper in the Northwest. The flagship Web site, seattletimes.com, is the largest local news information web site in the Northwest. Other Blethen-owned newspapers in Washington are the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, the Yakima Herald-Republic, The Issaquah Press and its affiliated community newspapers: the Newcastle News, the Sammamish Review and the SnoValley Star. More company information, including links to the newspaper Web sites, is available here

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Marijuana: It’s Time for a Conversation - Edmonds Forum

Monday, November 16, 2009

The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington will host a public forum featuring its award-winning video “Marijuana: It’s Time for a Conversation” on Monday, November 16 at 7:00 p.m. at the Edmonds Center for the Arts. Admission to the event is free.

A discussion of marijuana laws and policies moderated by ACLU of Washington Drug Policy Director Alison Holcomb will follow the screening. Panelists include:

•       Rick Steves, travel writer and television host
•       John McKay, former U.S. Attorney for Western Washington
•       Bud Krogh, former White House Deputy for Domestic Affairs in the Nixon Administration
•       Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, 36th Legislative District of Washington

Hosted by Rick Steves, “Marijuana: It’s Time for a Conversation” explores the history and current impacts of our marijuana laws. The video is part of a campaign aimed at encouraging public discussion on the effectiveness of these laws.

“We spend billions every year and arrest hundreds of thousands of Americans simply for possessing marijuana. We need to ask whether our laws are really working. Are they doing more harm than good?” said Kathleen Taylor, ACLU-WA Executive Director.

In Washington state alone, there were over 11,500 arrests and over 3,600 convictions for marijuana possession in 2007, costing the state millions of taxpayer dollars. Senate Bill 5615, pending before the Washington Legislature, would reclassify adult marijuana possession from a crime to a civil infraction carrying a $100 penalty payable by mail. The Washington State Office of Financial Management projects that its enactment would save the state $16 million annually and generate $1 million in new revenue.

“I’ve traveled throughout Europe and seen how they handle marijuana use and enforcement. I’ve learned that more thoughtful approaches can work,” noted Steves. “We need the understanding to go beyond ‘hard’ or ‘soft’ on drugs and find a policy that is ‘smart on drugs’.”

It is estimated that nationally, roughly $7.5 billion is spent annually for marijuana law enforcement. In 2008, 848,000 marijuana arrests were made nationwide, comprising half of all drug arrests combined.  Ninety percent of these arrests were simply for possession of marijuana. More than 100 million Americans have used marijuana at some point in their lives.

“Enforcement clogs our courts and criminal justice system, diverting resources from more serious crimes against people and property,” said the ACLU’s Taylor. “We think this is one of those times and issues where the public knows things aren’t working, and people have talked about it privately. But there needs to be public discussion, especially in this time of strapped government budgets,” added Taylor.

“I’m a parent of two teens,” noted Steves, “and I have seen how Europe has approached drug use as a public health issue instead of building more jails. I find it interesting that marijuana use in Europe is actually less than here.”

The video was produced by nationally award-winning producer Michael Cuddy. It includes interviews with leading experts on marijuana laws from around the country. Among them is Richard Bonnie, Associate Director of Nixon’s Shafer Commission, which recommended federal decriminalization of marijuana in the 1970s.

More information is available at MarijuanaConversation.

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