January 20, 2010 in City

House committee rejects two marijuana bills

By The Spokesman-Review
 
Tags:2010 Washington Legislaturemarijuana

OLYMPIA – Efforts to legalize or decriminalize marijuana use in Washington may have been snuffed out Wednesday as a House committee refused to send either proposal to the floor.

The House Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Committee rejected a bill to legalize and have the state tax, regulate and sell marijuana on a 5-2 vote. An estimate by the Office of Financial Management projected HB 2401 would have netted the state nearly $1.7 billion in taxes and proceeds over the next 10 years, but that didn’t sway committee members.

Minutes later they also turned down, on a 5-3 vote, a proposal to make possession of less than two ounces of marijuana a civil infraction. A person arrested with a small amount of marijuana would pay a fine and not have it show up on their criminal record, but possession of larger amounts or sale of the drug would still be a crime.

Rep. Al O’Brien, D-Mountlake Terrace and a former Seattle policeman, argued HB 1177 would ease the costs of arresting, prosecuting and incarcerating people for small amounts of marijuana: “A lot of prosecutors don’t prosecute these cases anyway.”

The committee’s actions mean voters might change the law themselves with an initiative that’s been filed for the November ballot, Rep. Steve Kirby, D-Tacoma, said.

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Four comments on this story so far. Add yours!

  • empyrius on January 20 at 5:20 p.m.

    Who are these people that comprise “The House Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Committee”? Probably nothing but a bunch of wine-drinking gated-community hypocritical yuppies looking out for the interests of their monetary donors.

    “Democracy”? Spare me!

    Put this to a vote of the people; not that I would respect the voice of mob rule over that of my individual morality, but assuredly a democratic process would command far more respect than the decisions of a few well-paid bureaucrats!

    Legalize marijuana!

    Peace

  • stillahippe on January 20 at 5:49 p.m.

    We need to get them out. replace them with people that represent us not themselves what ever happened majority rules my representatives can’t even manage to return my calls lets kick em out and legalize marijuana

  • Renata29 on January 20 at 8:52 p.m.

    Please visit www.SensibleWashington.org for more information on the citizen’s initiative to legalize marijuana for adults in WA. We’ll be gathering signatures in the spring.

  • twoandthree on January 21 at 1:26 a.m.

    Does this mean the Bill’s went up in smoke?

    Obviously the legistors who voted against it, should have recused themselves for conflict of interes.

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