Pubdate: Wed, 05 Sep 2012 Source: Yakima Herald-Republic (WA) Copyright: 2012 Yakima Herald-Republic Contact: http://www.yakima-herald.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/511 Author: Mike Faulk POT MEASURE FUELS WIDE DEBATE Whether it passes or not, the state debate over marijuana legalization won't end after the votes are counted on Initiative 502 in November. That's because the proposal, which would allow the state to sell and tax marijuana while giving extra funding to law enforcement and drug abuse education, is so layered it has unexpected opponents and supporters from unexpected backgrounds. Supporters, which include some in law enforcement and some involved in drug rehabilitation, call it a step toward a system built on intervention and education rather than criminal punishment to deter marijuana use. They compare the proposal to similar regulations placed on alcohol and tobacco. "We're not having any impact on the ability of consumers to get marijuana" under current policy, Yes on I-502 director Alison Holcomb said in a discussion before the Yakima Herald-Republic's editorial board. David Rolfe, executive director of Safe Yakima Valley, a collaborative effort between local nonprofits advocating children's health and safety, said it's antithetical to legalize marijuana if one of the goals of I-502 is also to promote abstinence from marijuana use. Rolfe said coalitions of community groups are already serving their purpose in educating young people about drug use. "Marijuana is a harmful drug," Rolfe said. University of Washington professor emeritus Roger Roffman, a supporter of I-502 with more than 20 years studying marijuana dependence counseling, agrees with Rolfe that pot isn't harmless. But Roffman says the initiative keeps that point in mind, with taxes earmarked toward intervention and prevention programs, as well as funding for further research on the impact of marijuana to the body. "This particular law is a public health approach," Roffman said. But the law also creates a standard for law enforcement to measure whether someone is driving under the influence of marijuana, and that's a deal breaker for legalization advocates, such as Steve Sarich, who say the science is sketchy and will lead to more instead of fewer marijuana arrests. Sarich, president of a medical marijuana patient resource group and leader of the No on I-502 campaign, said the blood level limit of 5 nanograms per milliliter established under the law would make anyone who had imbibed marijuana days or weeks earlier could land them in jail if they were tested. "This is adding a new and more heinous prohibition," Sarich said. Holcomb said that's an overreaction, citing the fact that police need probable cause to believe someone is driving intoxicated in order to arrest them or test their blood level. "Drivers are only going to get DUIs if they're impaired," she said. Rolfe and Sarich said the federal government ultimately wouldn't allow for the state to grow and sell marijuana anyway. Rolfe said any taxes collected under the state sale of marijuana would be subject to confiscation by the federal government. For Sarich, that means only the punitive aspects of the law would remain relevant. "We will all be under the influence behind the wheel" under the stipulations of I-502, Sarich said. Holcomb said the federal government has a precedent of not striking down other states' medical marijuana laws, such as the one in this state approved by voters in 1998. She said the law would be protected under the principle of "dual sovereignty," which allows states discretion in their handling of marijuana laws. A SurveyUSA scientific poll released in July showed 55 percent of state voters would approve of such an initiative, with 32 percent of respondents saying no and 13 percent saying they were not sure. Respondents between the ages of 50 and 64 were most likely to support the initiative, with 66 percent of those polled saying they would approve it. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom