Raid on pot fund hurts legalization

The following abridged versions of Northwest editorials do not necessarily reflect the view of The Spokesman-Review’s editorial board.

The Columbian, Vancouver, May 26

Predictably, the journey to legalized marijuana in Washington has been accompanied by a few bumps in the road. Introducing an industry that produces more than $300 million in annual revenue is bound to create some unforeseen problems. The primary shortcomings with legalized recreational use for adults can be laid at the feet of the Legislature.

Among the concerns when voters approved Initiative 502 in 2012 was the need for efforts to limit illegal use of the drug by those under the age of 21. The measure, which passed with 56 percent of the statewide vote, included safeguards to educate teenagers about the dangers the drug presents to still-developing minds.

Through I-502, voters approved money for the Department of Social and Health Services for programs “aimed at the prevention or reduction” of substance abuse among teenagers. They also earmarked funds for the Department of Health for a public-education campaign; money to help prevent students from dropping out of school; and revenue for marijuana research at the University of Washington and Washington State University.

Those funds have not materialized, as the budget passed by the Legislature in 2015 provided a small fraction of what was approved by the electorate.

The primary issues (surrounding legalization) remain the difficulty of determining whether somebody is under the influence of marijuana while driving, and the need to educate teenagers about the dangers of the drug. Each of those fall under the purview of the Legislature, which should view marijuana-tax revenue in the manner the public intended rather than as a newfound savings account.

Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, May 25

As technology evolves, the government’s power to search our papers (computer files) expands. Laws to protect our privacy must also expand.

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., deserves applause for leading an effort in Congress to make it tougher for the government to remotely access and search computers.

Currently, Congress has until December to block a judicial rule requested by the Justice Department and adopted last month by the U.S. Supreme Court that makes it easier for government to gain access to computers anywhere.

The judicial rules of criminal procedure would allow federal judges to issue warrants for law enforcement agents to remotely, secretly access to search electronic storage media and to seize or copy electronically stored information on computers located beyond their own judicial districts.

Until now, these searches have generally been limited to the district in which the warrant-issuing judge serves.

While the government must have authority to access computers for legitimate law enforcement and national security reasons, oversight by the courts – and Congress – is necessary. It’s about making sure government power is not being abused and our individual rights are not being trampled.