Washington I-502, Marijuana Legalization Measure

Washington I-502, Marijuana Legalization Measure, Supported By 53 Percent Of Voters: Poll 
Posted: 11/03/2012 10:21 pm EDT 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/03/wash...70334.html


A new survey from Public Policy Polling finds a majority of voters in Washington support a marijuana legalization measure that will appear on the state ballot on Election Day. 

53 percent say they support Initiative 502, while 44 percent remain opposed to the proposal, according to the poll. 

Below an excerpt of I-502 explaining the intent of the measure: 

The people intend to stop treating adult marijuana use as a crime and try a new approach that: 
(1) Allows law enforcement resources to be focused on violent and property crimes; 

(2) Generates new state and local tax revenue for education, health care, research, and substance abuse prevention; and 

(3) Takes marijuana out of the hands of illegal drug organizations and brings it under a tightly regulated, state-licensed system similar to that for controlling hard alcohol. 

This measure authorizes the state liquor control board to regulate and tax marijuana for persons twenty-one years of age and older, and add a new threshold for driving under the influence of marijuana. 

Similar proposals are on the ballot in Colorado and Oregon. 

The AP reported last week: 

A study released Wednesday by a respected Mexican think tank asserts that proposals to legalize the recreational use of marijuana in Colorado, Oregon and Washington could cut Mexican drug cartels' earnings from traffic to the U.S. by as much as 30 percent. 
Opponents questioned some of the study's assumptions, saying the proposals could also offer new opportunities for cartels to operate inside the U.S. and replace any profit lost to a drop in international smuggling. 

The ballot measures to be decided on Nov. 6 would allow adults to possess small amounts of pot under a regimen of state regulation and taxation. Polls have shown tight races in Washington and Colorado, with Washington's measure appearing to have the best chance of passing. Oregon's measure, which would impose the fewest regulations, does not appear likely to pass.